HE dark lines etched on their world weary faces only hint at the colourful lives they once led.
These days most are pensioners, enjoying the twilight years of their retirement.
But in their heyday they were some of Britain’s most feared gangsters and hardmen.
Now they have been recorded for history in two new books by a Birmingham author, himself a former feared criminal.
Bernard O’Mahoney has highlighted key figures from the days of the infamous Kray Twins in the swinging 60s, to the mean streets of modern-day Glasgow.
The author, 51, has written numerous previous books lifting the lid on his own experiences as a gangster during the 1990s ecstasy boom, including Essex Boys which was made into a film.
In his latest project – simply called Faces – he has convinced former gangsters, criminals or hardmen to pose for an incredible rogues gallery.
Dad-of-six Bernard, who lives in Harborne, said: “I don’t really like to blow my own trumpet, but these books are pretty impressive items.
“These villains, or Faces, as they prefer to be called, have been making headlines for more than 50 years.
“A few of them like the Krays, or ‘Mad’ Frankie Fraser, were so well-known that just the mention of their names could strike fear into whole communities.
“But there are many more of our most notorious criminals or hardmen who have gone largely unknown, I wanted to bring them altogether in one place.
“I don’t mean to glorify or glamorise crime, but there have always been criminals and always will be, so these books serve as an important social record.”
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