BBC Film Investigates The Mysterious Death Of Freddie Mills

Was the death of the celebrity boxer murder or suicide?

A real-life murder mystery focusing on the death of controversial national boxing hero, Freddie Mills, was broadcast on BBC Four this Wednesday (1 August). The programme deals with a man who some claim was responsible for a string of murders in the sixties including a number where the bodies were discovered in Chiswick.

'Murder in Soho - Who Killed Freddie Mills?' is described as "an intimate portrayal of a man who rose from the fairground boxing booth to become world light-heavyweight champion and later, a celebrity on television and in films."

Set in 1960s Soho, the film delves into the world of UK and US organised crime, with gangland figures such as the Krays, boxing, gambling, police corruption and a string of brutal unsolved murders that would become synonymous with the name Freddie Mills.

On 25 July 1965, Mills was found shot dead in the back seat of his car. The programme poses the question- Was it Murder, or Suicide?

Fifty years after his death, his family still challenge the coroner's verdict of suicide. They have always maintained he was murdered. High-profile gangsters such as Eddie Richardson give first-hand accounts of the criminal underworld that existed at the time, and ultimately a man comes forward who claims to have been involved in the murder of Freddie Mills. The film makers say it is a piece of testimony that could finally conclude a 50-year mystery for Freddie's family.

The mysterious death of Freddie Mills has been the subject of speculation for decades. Author Michael Litchfield claimed that Freddie Mills was the notorious criminal Jack The Stripper. In his book, 'The Secret Life of Freddie Mills' he claimed that he had confessed his guilt to a Scotland Yard detective who was a fellow Freemason but that he arranged his own death before he could be brought to justice.

The infamous serial killer Jack The Stripper was believed responsible for the deaths of six women whose bodies were all found in West London, usually close to the River Thames. The first victim was found by the river in Hammersmith in February 1964 and in April, the body of Irene Lockwood was discovered on the riverbank near Dukes Meadows. In July Mary Fleming was found in a garage forecourt Berrymede Road in Chiswick. All the women were found stripped naked and had died by strangulation.

The 'Secret Life of Freddie Mills' claimed that Mills offered the Kray twins £1,000 to arrange a hit man to execute him on the condition that his death would be quick and there would be no warning. He had been named as a suspect but was never arrested in connection with the case and the killings stopped after he was found dead at the wheel of his car- it was ruled to be a suicide.

Mills who was born in Bournemouth, was a world light/heavyweight boxing champion (1948-50) who became a night club owner, actor, and television presenter in the 1960s. After retiring, he has a number of small film parts and a presenter on the BBC pop-music programme Six-Five Special. He also became owner of a restaurant in Soho, which later became a nightclub frequented by the Kray Twins.

However, Neil Milkins, the author of 'Who Was Jack the Stripper?' totally dismissed the possibility of Freddie Mills being a serial killer. He wrote on our forum, "most persons would, I believe think the alleged evidence to be' preposterous'.

He claimed that it was ludicrous to suggest that Freddie Mills gave the Kray Twins £1000 to assassinate him, when in reality he was desperately short of money. "Rightly Freddie's daughter Susan and his stepson, actor Don McCorkindale are incensed." Mr Milkins said the family were happy with the content of this new documentary.

August 2, 2018