‘That one moment of anger and revenge will cost you your life. You will tear your family apart.’

‘Don’t get used by people, by the person you were meant to be,’ were the moving words of former east end gangster Chris Lambrianou talking about knife crime and drug dealers blighting our streets today.

Chris is known for his connections to London’s most notorious gangsters Ronald and Reginald Kray. It is in fact thanks to the Kray twins that Chris spent fifteen years in prison hell holes for the murder of Jack’ the hat’ Mc Vitie in 1967, a murder not only did he not commit but was not even present for when it took place.

Chris was sentenced with nine others at the Old Bailey during the biggest murder trial the country had ever seen. All ten defendants were charged with either the murders of George Cornell or Jack McVitie.

George Cornell was shot three times at point blank range by Ronnie Kray in March 1966 at the Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel. Ronnie had been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and often did not take his medication.

Jack McVitie was stabbed multiple times in a frenzied attack in Evering Road, Stoke Newington in October 1967. Reggie Kray had spent months living his life in a gin induced drunken haze having lost his 23 year old wife Frances and was not in his right mind.

All ten defendants were handed out pieces of card to wear around their necks thorough out the trial which they refused and all their appeals were denied.

Both Ron and Reg were handed out a thirty year life sentence. Ron died in prison in 1995 at the age of 61 years old and Reggie was let out six weeks before dying of cancer having served thirty three years behind bars.

Ronnie Kray was later moved to Broadmoor to finally be given the treatment he so desperately required and Reggie never saw the daylight again and at times gave up the hope of ever being freed and tried to slash his own wrist in a desperate bid for freedom.

Chris Lambrianou spent fifteen years a category ‘A Lifer’ being moved from prison to prison. His long stint in prison destroyed not just his life but his family’s life. His father had lost two sons to the ‘sickness’ of crime and his wife and daughter had no husband or father anymore.

His life in prison as category A prisoner was unimaginable and can only be described as full of horrors.

Now Chris dedicates his life in helping others reform and turn their life around. He works for many charities and truly dedicates his work to helping others stay on the right path.

He told the Havering Daily:

‘If you carry a knife you will go to prison and you’re going to change your family’s life. Carrying a knife will see you inside for minimum of 12-15 years, knives cost lives.

‘If you decide to carry a knife at some stage you will use it so take along with you a box of tissues as you will need them for the amount of lives you will destroy when you do and you will be doing a lot of crying.

‘Everyday in the prison hell holes you will think about the most important things in your life you will have lost, your family, you friends, your freedom.

‘That one moment of anger and revenge will cost you your life. You will tear your family apart.

‘Don’t get used by people, by the person you should be, be a decent human being. Walk away and do the right thing.’