In 2015 they finally closed the Jessop flyover

It had been built with sub-standard materials

And had been falling down for many years

During its demolition two skeletons were found

Hidden in the low level supports



The Parker Twins disappeared in early 1965

Both were known to the police having served time

It was thought that they had returned to Ireland

This was followed up after the remains were found

After careful analysis it was determined

That these were the skeletons

Of Shaun and William Parker



Although I had retired I was the only copper left

From that era who had a knowledge of the gangs

So I was asked to help with the investigation


There were two gangs operating in the mid sixties

The Wise Gang and The Bennett Gang

They tended to control the turf but tolerated each other

That was the word on the street at the time

But then came the Club Nero fire

Which was Trevor Wise’s pride and joy

I had my suspicions that another gang had moved in

As the Bennett’s did not work like this

There was a Maltese gang that was running girls nearby

But they did not seem to have any connection


When the tests came back it was found that both of the twins

Had died in and around the time that they had disappeared

Both had been shot in the back of the head gangland style

Which made me think of Trevor Wise as Mattie Ling

Was killed in the same way a couple of years later

He was a small time crook who had crossed Wise and paid the price

But this could not be proved and the case never went to court


My major problem was that Trevor Wise had died in 1980

I never really bought into this story because of its convenience

At the time some very big foreign gangsters were moving in

The Bennett’s were soon bought out but Wise was a problem

Although the streets were very quiet the rats were moving in the sewers



After the murder of Patsy Byrne who was Wise’s second in charge

Trevor went to live with his widowed sister in Spain

It was reported that he was terminally ill with a tumour

Everything went quiet until his death was reported in late 1980

To be frank although life was much easier with both gangs gone

And that the foreign gangs were more or less arresting themselves

I still thought Trevor was alive and had reinvented himself elsewhere


Because of the discovery of the Parker twins we interviewed his sister

Who stuck to the accepted story

He died in Malaga from a brain tumour and was cremated

His ashes were scattered in the sea


To be truthful the police lost interest quite quickly

And I think that a lot of the investigation was conducted

For the benefit of the cameras as nostalgia still sold papers

I had done my bit and was quietly released

The police had changed beyond my experience

For the worse in certain ways as much of it is too cerebral


Just good old fashioned policing a hunch here a grass there

Many of the bad guys were caught that way

I was a man from yesterday a relic of the past


To be truthful I did not really care for Trevor Wise

He was a ruthless cold blooded gangster

But he had style as when I was in hospital

I received a get well card from him

That was many years ago when Margaret was small

She is now a teacher in a West London school

And when I visited her a couple of weeks ago

She handed me card had been forwarded to her by Bertie Briggs

The card had a Sunderland postmark

It was from Trevor Wise inviting me for a game of chess

Which was a shared passion

On my next visit to Spain


Although it might have been beneficial to the investigation

I did not pass it on

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie


James Packer