TONY Tucker is known for being one of the members of the Essex Boys who were shot dead in the Rettendon murders.
He lived a life of crime starting in the 1980s. Here’s everything you need to know about him.
Tony Tucker was the head of a security firm that provided security for nightclubs across Essex.
He was also the security guard for former super middleweight champion Nigel Benn.
As a member of the Essex Boys gang, he ran drugs into clubs during the 1980s and 1990s which in turn inflicted a reign of terror.
He specialised in punishment beatings and frequently used torture as a means of getting people into line.
The gangster was ultimately responsible for supplying the ecstasy pill that led to the shocking death of Leah Betts, 18, in November 1995.
The Essex Boys were a gang that operated in 1980s and 1990s.
They were mainly involved in drug deals and were thought to be major players in the ecstasy trade that fuelled Britain’s rave scene.
The gang eventually became one of the most notorious in British history and sparked a number of films including Essex Boys – starring Sean Bean.
Tony Tucker, 38, was found shot dead in a Range Rover on an isolated farm track in Rettendon on the morning of December 7, 1995, alongside Pat Tate, 37, and Craig Rolfe, 26.
All of them were “blasted” by a shotgun from close range, lying blood-covered and slumped in the vehicle until they were discovered by two local farmers the next morning.
The victims were all known members of the Essex Boys, and numerous theories came together surrounding how they came to be shot eight times.
Michael Steele and Jack Whomes were convicted of the murders after Darren Nicholls – who was the getaway driver – gave evidence against the two.
It is said that the murder happened over a conflict over money from an armed robbery.
This was after statements made by criminal Billy Jasper were looked at, which claimed that he was the actual getaway driver and that Brink’s Mat money launderer Patsy “Bolt Eyes” Clark was the one who wanted them dead.
Despite this, a three-part Sky documentary The Essex Murders questions whether cops had the right men for the crime
Investigator and former Det Supt Dave McKelvey told The Sun: “I strongly believe there has been a miscarriage of justice.
“In the years that have passed, Whomes missed seeing his young children grow up while Steele is an old man who has become almost institutionalised.
“Times have moved on so much from when they were first jailed that when I mention social media to Steele he has no idea what I’m talking about.”
However, Essex police stand by the convictions and a spokesperson said: “There has been an exhaustive police investigation into the murders of Pat Tate, Tony Tucker and Craig Rolfe in Rettendon on 6 December 1995, which resulted in the conviction of Michael Steele and Jack Whomes for their murder.
“Since then, this case has been back before the Court of Appeal twice, in 1999 and 2006. These appeals have included focus upon key evidential aspects of the case.
“Both appeals were rejected and in 2006 Lord Justice Kay commented that there was no “element of unsafety” relating to the original convictions of both defendants.”
The BBC is reopening case files on an all-star line-up of crime dramas this summer.
Here’s a refresher on the popular programmes which span six decades.
