James Humphreys; club and porn shop owner
Hyfler/Rosner
October 24, 2003
HEADLINE: OBITUARIES JAMES HUMPHREYS, CLUB OWNER; SOHO BARON AND SCOURGE OF
THE MET
BYLINE: JANE FRYER
WHEN the police raided Soho's porn shops in the Sixties, they would call up
Jimmy Humphreys and offer him the confiscated magazines. He would swing down
to Scotland Yard, hand over the cash and fill up his Rolls-Royce. It seemed
like a fair return on the GBP 3,000 he was pressing into various police
palms each week.
At the time, he was one of London's foremost porn-shop and club owners. The
inspiration for Malcolm McDowell's character Bennie Barratt in the TV drama,
Our Friends In The North, he had scores of Metropolitan Police detectives on
his payroll.
Their understanding came to an abrupt end in 1973 when he was charged with
wounding his wife's former lover, which he denied, and given eight years in
prison. The self-styled Emperor of Porn, convinced he had been framed, soon
opened the diaries in which he had recorded all his dealings.
By the time he had given evidence against all the bent officers he had wined
and dined, 74 had been arrested, 12 had resigned, 28 retired and 13 were
jailed. It was the biggest police scandal in a century and two years into
his sentence he was rewarded with a royal pardon.
James Humphreys was born in South London in 1930. Leaving school at 14, he
befriended gangland heavy "Mad" Frankie Fraser and soon began law-breaking -
he funded his first date with his future first wife, June Driscoll, with a
stolen television set. Later, Fraser relocated to North London and Humphreys
moved to Soho, where porn supremo Bernie Silvers groomed him as his
successor.
Humphreys had two sons, Louie and James, but was not a handson father. As
James says: "He was only interested when we were old enough for business."
Birthday and Christmas presents were often forgotten as their father
immersed himself in business.
The late Sixties were his halcyon days. He owned a 28-room Kent farmhouse
and a luxury Soho apartment. Impeccably turned out in dark suit and black
tie, he was equally at ease sipping vintage champagne with pimps and
prostitutes or lords and ladies.
Business was something he and his second wife, Rusty Gaynor (born June
Packard), had in common. When they met in his Moor Street club, the
red-headed stripper was the toast of Soho, light years from her suburban
Kent childhood. In business, they made a formidable team. Rusty hired the
dancers, one of whom was Norma Levy, the prostitute who caused the downfall
of Tory defence minister Lord Lambton in the Seventies.
Their personal relationship, however, was stormy. She was jailed briefly for
drawing a gun on him after a row and, set-up or not, he was jailed for
slashing her exlover, Peter Garfath. The court heard that Humphreys had
ordered a gang to cut off Garfath's hands. Despite long periods of enforced
separation, though, he and Rusty were always drawn back together.
Awaiting trial in Amsterdam, Humphreys arranged for Louie to spring him from
prison but the date clashed with Queen Juliana's birthday and the city was
closed to traffic. Humphreys had already cut though an empty cell to reach
the roof and was stranded when his son could not get close. He never spoke
to Louie again.
IN THE aftermath of the Scotland Yard scandal, Humphreys fled to Mexico,
then Florida, and lived off horse and greyhound racing. Homesick, he and
Rusty returned to London in the Nineties but found the old order had gone.
It did not stop them returning to their old ways, though, and in 1993 both
were jailed for profiting from high-class West End brothels.
In recent years they moved to the South Coast and a quiet life running a
removal company. At the time of his death the couple were in discussions
about a film of their life story.
Humphreys is survived by Louie, James and Rusty and her son, Jamie, whom he
adopted.
James Humphreys, born London, January 7, 1930. Died Hastings, September 22,
2003, aged 73.
MWB
mark
MadCow57
sons, Louie and James, but was not a handson father. As
James says: "He was only interested when we were old enough for business."
Birthday and Christmas presents were often forgotten as their father
immersed himself in business.<<
With all those dirty magazines in the "boot" of his "Roller," why couldn't he
have given the boys a little something to hide under the bed?
katherine.h...@gmail.com
The story didn't end there......there's a triology of films in this family ;-)
prosport...@gmail.com
> Katie Humphreys... Daughter of Jimmy the Glove and Grandaughter of Jimmy The Porn King Humphreys....
>
> The story didn't end there......there's a triology of films in this family ;-)
katy...@gmail.com
benwil...@yahoo.co.uk
benwil...@yahoo.co.uk
benwil...@yahoo.co.uk
jus...@googlemail.com
> No not related to Judas Pig..different story.
my name is Kevin Humphreys, son of Eddie (Jimmy's brother), was visiting him at the weekend (he is 82 now) and was nice to hear him talking about the old days (first time ever), never spoke much about it when we were growing up in Kent, even though we used to spend many weekends at Elephant and Castle previously to that, when very young, with aunt Nora and all.
Kevin