f a u s t
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contents
1. Foreword A note from the author explaining the origins and intentions of the publication.
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2. Upper-Class Underworld A history of the Kings way Lords.
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3. The Mad Hatter An exclusive interview with Michael Edwards
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4. The Inner Circle These pages introduce the members of the Lords Circle
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5. The Blitzkrieg Twins Quick profile on these two maniacs
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6. The Queen of the Damned Long live the Queen
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7. Strays A selection of images taken during our time with the gang
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Written and designed by Jack Witcomb Photography Richard Edwards Illustration Luke Apicella 4
Over the course of the last year, media attention has been focused on a group of aristocrats hailing from central London. The kingsway lords as they call themselves are still subject to an incredibly expensive and torturously long investigation from Scotland yard. A case is being put together condemning the key figures in this infamous troupe; racking up hundreds of charges including murder, conspiracy, embezzlement, fraud, drug trafficking, kidnap and arson. The gangs leader, mike ‘the mad hatter’ Edwards, acknowledging his impending trial and incarceration, has approached us wanting to help clear his families name, not from the crimes committed but from the speculation and stigma that they have been associated with. This publication presents an exclusive insight into life behind the scenes of one of the u.k’s most notorious crime syndicates, and, for the first time in history we have testimonies and interviews from those directly involved. Perhaps after reading this the world will have a different view of these lords of corruption.
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upperclass underworld
Roy Edwards The following article is an attempt to explain the rich history of the Kingsway Lords based on information provided to us by Michael ‘the mad hatter’ Edwards and includes images taken directly from his family archives.
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London Opera House, 1879
success and power and quickly made several beneficial changes to the company, almost doubling his profits in just two years. Realizing the ever-growing popularity of recreational opiate usage, Charles began to start bringing large amounts of opium into the country along the same trade routes he had already established for the import of Turkish fabrics. Charles then went about setting up swanky opium dens and bars in the more affluent areas of the city. These became very popular within the privileged circles to whom he had persuaded to make visits.
It might surprise some readers to learn that the Edwards family had some very humble beginnings; Roy Edwards was a bright engineer in the right place at the right time. in the latter half of the 1700’s Edwards set up numerous fabric and textile mills in the U.K. and established trading links across the length and breadth of the British empire. By the turn of the century he had amassed a huge amount of wealth and power, cashing in on some of the boom years of the industrial revolution and using his unparalleled charisma he gained favour with some of londons most important aristocrats. He was hugely popular and his whole family were held in very high regard by the rich and powerful in early nineteenth century London.
in 1830 Charles hit a huge stroke of luck; permission was granted by parliament in London to extend the cultivation of the opium poppy in India. This was a much more efficient area to trade to and from, and again he was able to use his pre established connections throughout the empire to make trading the drug even easier. Over the next couple of decades he was able to ship a huge amount of opiates into the country, in-fact, he was the country’s biggest importer of the drug that wasn’t government affiliated..
In 1819 Roy Edwards retired, leaving all of his various assets in the capable hands of his first born son, Charles Edwards. Charles was extremely intelligent and been working as his fathers assistant since he finished his degree, learning extraordinarily quickly and repeatedly outdoing his more experienced peers. When the company was left to him he gained complete and unobjectionable control and, being only twenty one years old, charles was hungry for 7
Over the years Charles’ fortune grew and grew and his businesses; both narcotics and textiles expanded rapidly but it wasn’t all plain sailing. The first opium war broke out in 1839 and lasted for 3 years. This posed as a huge threat to his profits in both the drug and fabric trades. To help secure his interests in the east Charles hired a militia of hundreds of mercenaries to guard his factories and transport. his small army proved invaluable saving him hundreds of thousands of pounds and earning him a reputation of being untouchable. The war fizzled out only for another to be fought in the late 1850’s. With an even bigger militia and a powerful reputation the war barely affected him, it was the repercussions of the conflict that would change his family forever. in 1868 legislation was passed that prohibited the sale of opiates outside of government regulated pharmacies. Obviously this was hugely problematic for Charles as it had the potential to cut his profits in half. However, Charles thought fast and bought the London Opera House on the Kingsway under the guise of renovation. Secretly Charles was using the basement level catacombs as a base of operations for his drug dealing. Through a combination of corruptible contacts along his trade routes in the orient and his ever growing army, he still managed to move just as much opium into the country as before without rousing the slightest doubt or suspicion. He also moved much of his militia onto the streets of London and began to set about controlling London underworld. “He was a fucking visionary” says Michael as we discuss his families rich history in a regal drawing room inside the opera house where he is currently under surveillance. “if only the poor bastard had lived to see how his ideas blossomed”
Charles Edwards Things were fairly easy for the first few years of his reign over ‘the kingsway Lords’ as his gang had come to be known. But the 1st world war broke out in 1914 and, being a patriotic Brit, William sent vast amounts of his militia onto the battlefield for the sake of king and country. Bearing the kingsway lords colours, their motto; Dum Canit Et Adipes Domina, translated as ‘until the fat lady sings’ a nod to their operatic headquarters. The task force was hugely beneficial to the war effort carrying out various covert and special operations. as the country recovered from the devastation of the great war so too did his business and soon everything was back to normal.
Charles died two years later in 1870, and the families assets were left to the 25 year old Robert ‘reaper’ Edwards. the reaper gained his nickname because of his ruthless and murderous nature. he loved to kill. he used his wealth, power and violence to gain control of every drugs operation in the city, he was paid protection money by various smaller pre existing crime groups and asked for a share of any large transactions or robberies that were taking place. Everyone was terrified of him but only a few had actually met him and those that had were far too scared to ever snitch on him or reveal his identity. his power and wealth grew over the decades and he never had any real problems, life was easy and in this knowledge he retired early at the age of 54 in 1904 left his son william in charge.
“he was a fucking visionary” 8
loved to kill
Clockwise from top; one of Charles first opium lounges,Henry Edwards in uniform, ww2 militia forces in India His son henry ended up with the same fate as him, taking over just before the second world war. Henry, like his father sent his mercenaries out to the front lines, where he used their ferocity and power to send a message of fear to the axis forces, henry though, was also fighting the war back at home, he spent huge amount of money on aid during the blitz and used the opera house cellars as huge bomb shelters and temporary accommodation for victims of the bombing. After the war the society was far more solidified and people looked out for each other much more than before and the city seemed to be a slightly quieter place and business went smoothly.
krieg he could see the benefits of a solid, safe community. He redirected the kingsway lords in an attempt to benefit society. He realized that it would be impossible to stop violence, robbery and drug abuse but it would be possible for a man of his power to regulate it. Since then the Lords have made it their goal to regulate all of the narcotics moved in and out of the city for safety and quality, to put a stop to gang violence, mugging and robberies, acting as hidden enforcers and vigilantes. The ‘mad hatter’ says that his grandfather was “the guardian that London needed,he watched over the city, trying to keep the innocent safe and the criminals in check. it was all about maintaining a status quo.”
Walter Edwards took over in 1955 with a new vision for the kingsway lords. He didn’t share ‘the reaper’s lust for violence and being bought up during the blitz-
The Lords have stuck to this ethos since; regulating the criminal activity and keeping the underworld separate from the lives of average civilians. 9
Mike ‘the mad hatter’ Edwards and his current inner circle. The kingsway lords are now run by Michael ‘the mad hatter’ Edwards who took over in 2001. Mike is as infamous for his erratic bouts of violence as he is for his calm and diplomatic nature. Mike can turn from a good natured, pleasant gentleman to a ravenous, merciless and animalistic killer. He is rarely found without the members of the lords inner circle. The inner circle is a tradition within the mob and a place at the mad hatters table is highly sought after. The current incarnation of the kingsway lords inner circle consists of his queen (insert name), the leader of his elite task force and his one man security detail, (inset name) is never far from his side. The fourth member of the inner circle is (inset mad name). he is a true lunatic and one of Michaels favorite hit men. Together this team of rogues has torn londons underground societies apart.
one of the biggest police raids that has ever taken place occurred. Swat teams assaulted the London opera house at 3am. Obviously the militia reacted and what resulted was a 3 hour bloodbath with neither side giving an inch and remaining at a complete standoff. The conflict ended only when the leader of the Kingsway Lords walked out into the street with his hands up. He claims that he tried to end the contact sooner but the raid had wiped out all of his communications. mike gave himself into the police who couldn’t pin any of the violence from the evening on him personally and the property couldn’t be searched that evening because of the force of the militia. Regardless the police have more than enough evidence against Michael and his inner circle to put them all away for life. And with them under house arrest and due in court in three weeks time, it looks as though it could be the end of the kingsway lords.
Over the course of two centuries the families operations have never been under scrutiny from the authorities, people were too scared to talk and a huge network of contacts and affiliates made sure their activities went unnoticed. However in February 2010 10
the mad hatter
An interview with Michael Edwards
I was given the exclusive chance to interview the infamous Michael Edwards, needless to say i was both exited and terrified as i pulled up a chair beside him in the regal drawing room, the heart of his lavish living quarters inside the opera house where he was under house arrest... Jack Witcomb: “good evening Mr. Edwards and thankyou for giving us this wonderful opportunity.” Michael Edwards: “good evening, you can call me mike” “So mike, where shall we start?” ”Well logically we should start at the beginning.” ”Yeah, OK, you’re right, so tell me a little bit about what it was like growing up as heir to the kingsway lords legacy.” I’d like to say i had a normal upbringing, however, this was obviously not the case. i was born into huge wealth and privilege but i was never spoiled. From an early age i was taught the value of hard work, anything i was given was directly proportional to the effort i had put in to get it. i think that my parents tried their best to raise me well, it’s the family values which keep this unit together, you know? so how much did you know about your fathers second life, do you remember when you first realized that you came from a family of criminals? i guess i cant really remember when i first realized the world i was living in. i was living with some of the countries most powerful and dangerous criminals and every aspect of life revolved around the family business so even as a very young boy i was bombarded by the values of the mob. i think that up until my early teens i knew what was going on at a subconscious level never really wondered where the money came from or what the shipments consisted of because the family had several very successful businesses, and of course owned the operational opera house we live in.”
his eyes seem to wander as if an event is replaying behind them. “What are you thinking?” just thinking about how amazing it was living in here as a child” “Go on” “Well what can i say? it was an adventure everyday! i don’t know if you’ve noticed but it’s huge inside this building and for an inquisitive young boy like me there was always something to keep me entertained; there was our huge living quarters, living quarters for the performers, back stage areas, storage and props cupboards, the list goes on. Each of these areas had something different to do and someone different to see. i could go and play in the props room for hours at a time or roam the dark, lonely corridors pretending to be part of one of the innumerable fantasies which i constructed as a child. Like i said, there were always different for me to talk to, from actors to cleaners, from engineers to set designers and everything inbetween.” “do you think that this environment has helped shape you to the same extent that the criminal world has?” “Oh definitely, without a doubt, probably more so if anything, the interactions that I had at such a young age with these people from all walks of life was as much a learning process as my academics were. i was learning about new cultures, new traditions and new values everyday. i think that this kind of multicultural knowledge is one of the most important tools that someone can learn. the combination of all these individuals life stories, tales and opinions have helped shape my world view and help me make wiser and more considered decisions everyday.
“bombarded with the
values of the mob”
there is a slight change in michaels expression and 13
“i think it’s got something to do with the amount of weed i smoke” Sorry. I think i went off on a bit of a tangent then, i do that quite often, i think it’s got something to do with the amount of weed i smoke ha ha” “No, this is great, trust me.” “OK, so where was i? Oh yes,crime. i honestly can’t remember when i first realized what my family did but i do remember the first time i spoke to my father about it. i was about fourteen or fifteen years old and i had started to realize that my father was keeping secrets from me. one day i built up some courage, i still don’t know why but i found the anticipation of asking him about it quite daunting, i suppose i was scared of looking stupid and i was scared of what the answers would be. he explained that wherever there are people there will always be vice and there will always be crime, he said it was human nature. in simple terms he preached his philosophy; how that, to benefit society, laws had to be broken by a select few so that others, more dangerous criminals, can’t. i loosely understood but i was still a little confused, all i knew was that it sounded incredibly heroic and that i simply had to get involved. when i grew up i
realized that it wasn’t heroic at all.” “Tell me a bit more about your relationship with your father.” “ Me and my dad have always had a strong bond. he was a fantastic man god rest his soul. Throughout my childhood he always made special allowances for me, it wasn’t always him to take time out from business but he always made sure that he could drop everything to see me. in my early teens we seemed to drift apart a bit but i think i was just at that age where you despise anyone that loves you.” mike laughs and lights his pipe. “when i was sixteen my dad showed me the ropes, how the ‘lords’ were organized, what they did, their power. i was completely hooked and from that day spent all of my free time learning from my father and his colleagues. i wanted to do him proud...no... i wanted to surpass him. “so you were doing jobs for the mob at 16?” not quite, you have to put it into context, yes i was doing errands for an organised crime syndicate but 14
they weren’t neccersarily criminal acts. i wasn’t running round murdering people at 16 haha, i was running quick deliveries and getting my face known. “So how did you get from there to where you are now?” “Well if by ‘where you are now’ you mean a prisoner in my own home whilst my world crumbles around me then that is a different story but i take it you mean me controlling the Lords?” “Yeah, yeah...” “Well it’s not all hereditary you know, i had to prove myself and work my way through the ranks.” “ranks? i’m intrigued, tell me more.” “The Kingsway Lords have a set heirarchy and a chain of command, this chain should never be broken, and if it is then there will be severe reprocussions. At the top is the boss, me, the boss is called the king. The kings will is almost unquestionable and he is completely responsible for all executive decisions. the second in command is the queen, the kings partner. she acts as an advisor to the king. the king has an inner circle consisting of the queen and his closest allies. i have two other allies in my inner circle; my right hand man and my muscle man. most of the people that work for me don;t have a clue who i am. each link in the chain from me to the street sellers is on strictly need to know intelligence levels. i have my department heads who are unquestionably loyal and underneath them the employees on the whole will have never even heard my real name. it’s a tradition we have kept over the centuries to ensure we don’t run into any trouble, not that it did much good eh?” “So are you saying that you are not directly involved in any of the criminal activity?” “Not at all, i deal drugs, but i’m not on the street with a couple of £10 bags of weed. i have people to do that for me. i am like a puppet master, in the background pulling strings. And, of course, i haven’t always been in this position. i’ve been a hitman, i’ve been a driver, i’ve been a smuggler, and every now and again a matter will come up which requires my direct attention, if you catch my drift?” “Indulge me” “If we need to send a message, really fuck some things up, then the circle and i make it our business. people are very afraid of me...they’re right to be.”
“people are afraid of me ... they’re right to be” 15
“I’ll admit, i was pretty scared of meeting you.”
criminal behaviour in the city rather than trying to wipe it out like the police would do. would you rather buy drugs from me, knowing they will be clean, safe, and of the best quality, or pick up from some scumbag you don’t know? he started to punish perpertrators of crimes against the innocent or inciting gang violence. thus making the streets a safer place.
Mike laughs. “But now that i’ve met you, i have found you to be a very polite, well mannered and articulate man.” “Haha i suppose you could say that” “I’m intrigued to know more about your grandfathers philosophy that the last couple of generations of Kingsway Lords have used as a guide to their actions, is all about.” “My grandfather lived through the blitz which he claim pulled the community together as a whole, people banded together and everyone was at peace with one another. He couldn’t stand the violence that innocent people had to deal with on a near daily basis and longed to go back to the times when community meant something. It ate him up even more to know how heavily responsible he and his family were for a high percentage of the suffering around him. He knew that society would not exist without the drugs and crime, and, in that knowledge he set about reforming the
i was starting to see where mike was coming from and, admittedly, his arguments were convincing. “The london Opera House was raided by police last year which lead to your arrest. what happened there? “Some little cunt grassed on us.” says mike, clearly becoming agaitated. could this be one of his famous split personality episodes? “I don’t know who and i don’t know why but when i do i’m gonna gut and hang the the little bastard. this is unforgivable.” 16
Rich is having some trouble with his camera set up and mike points at the photographers assistant.
“i’ll
“I saw you fucking around with that flash, i’ll have your fingers off son!” he takes a deep breath and apologises.
have
“I don’t know what happened, all of a sudden there was a gunfight in my house! all the lights and communications had been disabled by S.W.A.T, i didn’t know what was going on but i thought it was pointless to continue the standoff. i jave myself in to the police so that the violence could stop. they got about forty arrests that night. Alot of people are going down for a long time.” “Have you not thought of running?” “I’m under house arrest until my trial, which is more than i could have ever hoped for. I can’t run because i don’t want to lose my family.” “What do you think will happen to the Kingsway Lords legacy?” “Well, the Edawrds family businesses, the legitimateones mind, are being left to my kids. my employees will make sure they are well looked after and control the companies until they come of age. As for the crime. the police will wish they had never locked me away. mark my words, when i’m gone the streets will be chaos. i am a neccersary evil.
your fingers off son” 17
“when i’m gone the streets will be chaos. i am a necessary evil.” 18
the inner circle
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the blitzkrieg twins Alaisdair ‘ the animal’ Robbins is Edwards’ right hand man and one half of the Blitzkrieg Twins. it’s rare that the Mad Hatter is found without him. Alaisdair and MIke have been friends since their teens where they trained in a Kingsway Lords boot camp. they have fought
alaisdair the animal 20
together many times and Mike trusts him over any other. The Animal is head of the Lords militia. he plans attacks and raids as well as overseeing all training and recruitment but he doesn’t stay behind the scenes; the young man has seen more action than many of the gangs oldest veterans.He’s known for his relentless ferocity on the battlefield but his personality is highly deceptive. Alisdair keeps himself to himself, occasionally muttering something under his breath. the only peoplehe really speaks to are Michael and timothy.
Teflon Timothy makes up the second half of the Blitzkrieg twins. tim lost the plot a long time ago and it’s pretty much accepted now that he is actually insane. tim doesnt often seem that coherrant and remains locked in his own crazy thoughts until something kicks off and when it does you better pray that you are fighting alongside. Teflon Tim got his name because of the amount of times he has been shot and how he has managed to survive every time, as if he was wearing a teflon vest. during one infamous shootout in a pub, Tim ran out of bullets and
was running out of options. rather than surrendering Tim leapt over the bar that he was using as cover into a hail of bullets brandishing only a hachet. he was shot 6 times in the stomach and chest but he just kept hacking his enemies to pieces while they fired at him from point blank range.
teflon timothy 21
queen of the damned Zoe Edwards is the queen of the Kingsway Lords. married to Mike for 9 years, there is no-one more valuable amongst his entourage. she provides him with emotional support and acts as an official advisor. she has also bore and raised both of Mikes children. She is the gangs greatest negotiator, using her womanly wiles to squeeze whatever she wants out of a captured enemy or a potential business partner. She is also pretty good in a gunfight and claims to have made roughly 85 kills in the last decade.
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strays We will leave you with a selection of photographs taken during our time with the gang which didn’t make it into any articles. i hope you enjoy them.
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