Who were the Quality Street Gang and where were they from? | The Sun

THE Quality street gang were alleged by police to have been responsible for most of the major crime in Manchester over a period of three decades.

However, not a lot is known about their activities, with many doubting if they were actually involved in criminality at all. Here's what we know.

Who were the Quality Street Gang?

The Quality Street Gang were a group from Manchester, who were rumoured to be involved in criminal activity.

Senior members of Greater Manchester Police have said that in the entire time the gang was supposed to exist not a single member was ever arrested or convicted of any crime.

This has cast some doubt over whether the Quality Street Gang were ever a group of organised criminals.

This core group of men first became notorious in Manchester in the early sixties, all hailing from poor backgrounds in areas such as Collyhurst and Ancoats.

READ MORE ON CRIME

The Brink’s-Mat robbery was one of the country’s largest heists

Top sportsman arrested for ‘passing information from a corrupt cop to gangsters’

They began by selling at market stalls before moving into construction and property as the money started flowing in.

However, as it cannot be confirmed if they were actually involved in organised crime, it is unknown whether or not their existence as a criminal entity was a myth.

When were the Quality Street Gang active?

The gang is supposed to have existed from the 1960s through to the 1980s.

The group was reportedly named after a 1960s TV advertisement for Quality Street confectionery which showed an eclectic and smartly dressed group of people.

Most read in The Sun

They were even immortalised by rock band Thin Lizzy, whose classic The Boys Are Back In Town was inspired by them.

Who was part of the Quality Street Gang?

There were said to be around a dozen members of the gang, although two of them are more famous and spoken about more than the others.

Jimmy Donnelly was known by his nickname of "Jimmy the weed" because of his small stature.

He released an autobiography in 2011 which detailed his alleged involvement in the Manchester underworld.

Jimmy Monaghan became a pro boxer under the ring name Jim Swords. He alleged in his 2010 book Street Fighting Man that the gang did exist and he was heavily involved.

UK’s most notorious gangsters and criminals

• Notorious prisoner Charlie Bronson
• The Kray Twins from London's East End
• Former gangster Marvin Herbert
• Ex-armed robber Vic Dark
• Former gangland enforcer Brian Cockerill
• Notorious British criminal Carlton Leach
• Paul Sykes – known as Britain's hardest prisoner
• Kevin Lane – given a life sentence for murder
• Convicted murderer Tony Argent
• Former drug-smuggler Chet Sandhu
• Fearless UK hardman Lee Duffy
• Career criminal Curtis Warren
• Gangleader Charlie Richardson
• A-Team leader Terry Adams

Source: Read Full Article