Notorious gangster Dave Courtney died penniless and without a will after taking his own life at the age of 64

It was revealed that famous gangster Dave Courtney had no will and died penniless after committing suicide at the age of 64.

Courtney, who claimed to be an associate of the Kray twins, gang criminals of the 1960s, replaced his criminal past with writing books in later years.

Southwark Coroner’s Court heard he was found dead with a gunshot wound by his friend, actor Brendan McGirr, at his home in Chestnut Rise, south-east London, on October 22, 2023.

Senior coroner Dr. Julian Morris concluded that he had committed suicide following a brief inquest in March this year.

It was revealed that Courtney left no money to his wife, Jenny Pinto, and their two daughters.

The details were revealed in an Administrative Letter from a registrar lodged at the High Court in London.e: ‘The application stated that the gross UK value of the property was £0.’

His wife, known as Jenny Bean, was identified as the administrator of the estate.

Documents show Courtney’s home was sold for £500,000 in July 2024.

Following his death, the gangster-turned-writer allegedly arranged for up to 10 percent of his inheritance to be donated to charity.

Metro It has been reported that Courtney is set to donate tens of thousands of pounds to Autistic Inclusive Innovations (AIM) after her estate is identified and her possessions are sold in an online auction.

Detective Sergeant James Robinson informed Courtney’s investigation about videos the former gangster had made in the months before his death.

The court heard that in one of them he talked about his rheumatoid arthritis and “hiding a lot of pain”.

‘I’m having to hide the fact that I can’t go up and down the stairs, I can’t get in and out of the car, and I’m not enjoying it right now,’ he said.

‘That’s really it. I don’t want to waste it living a bad life like I lived before. ‘Absolutely perfect.’

In a 35-second video published in the early hours of October 22, 2023, Courtney apologized to the people in her life, adding: ‘There are people who will be upset. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt you.’

Seven more videos were found directed at specific family and friends. In one, she can be seen dancing around.

Dave Courtney died by shooting himself at his home in London. He was one of Britain’s best-known gangsters

In the last video, at 1.11 am on October 22, 2023, Mr. Courtney is in his bedroom, sitting on the bed in the same position and clothes he was in.

Mr Robinson said the police investigation into his death concluded there was ‘no evidence of third party involvement’.

DS Robinson said Mr Courtney was using a combination of legal and illegal drugs to cope with his pain.

The officer added: ‘Following a thorough investigation involving the homicide assessment team, we found no evidence or indication of third party involvement.’

Detectives conducted a thorough search of Camelot Castle because the three-bed semi-mansion contained ‘large open spaces including nightclubs and bars’.

The court heard that a film producer, Courtney, had collected up to 70 firearms that had been decommissioned or fired only with blanks.

The Bermondsey-born gangster was allegedly shot, stabbed and nearly had his nose bitten off during a fight with rivals.

He is said to be the inspiration for Vinnie Jones’ character ‘Big Chris’ in the films Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

A photo of Courtney outside her home at Camelot Castle in October 2022. The white mansion was equipped with weapons, swords and armor.

64-year-old Courtney, who claimed to be an associate of the Kray twins, gang criminals of the 1960s, preferred his criminal past to writing books in later years.

In 2000, he was cleared by an Old Bailey jury of involvement in a plot to plant cocaine on an innocent woman.

During the trial it was stated that he was a registered police informant who used the alias ‘Tommy Mack’.

But he insisted he exploited the system to conceal his relationship with a corrupt detective.

He referred to himself as Dave Courtney OBE – ‘A Big Ego’ and had a painted depiction of himself as a knight at Camelot Castle.