GANGLAND figure Dave Courtney was yesterday found dead in his bed after shooting himself in the head.
A lodger discovered the 64-year-old former TV actor and showman with a pillow over his face, which would have muffled the sound.
Scott Hornby – The SunDave Courtney was found dead in his bed after shooting himself in the head[/caption]
Dave smiles as he watches his beloved Charlton Athletic in his last social media postInstagram/@davidcourtneyobe
Gary StonePolice outside Courtney’s home nicknamed Camelot Castle[/caption]
He was said to have put a glove on before firing a Glock 9mm pistol at his South London home.
The day before he died he went with pals to watch Charlton Athletic thump Reading 4-0 in a League One match.
The flamboyant former crime kingpin, who wrote six books and appeared in films and documentaries, shared snaps on Facebook.
He wrote: “At Charlton today. Full works today three course meal.”
He added: “And what a cool cool day it’s all turning out to be.”
One pal said: “They stayed up until 4am drinking and went to bed. At around 11am his lodger and friend Brendan went to look in Dave’s bedroom because it was very quiet.
“He found Dave in bed with a pillow placed across his face and he had been shot in the head.
“The first impression was that he had taken his own life. But the police have to be certain and are investigating.’’
The road was cordoned off with a cop covering the entrance.
Officers carried out forensic examinations and described the death as “unexpected”.
Courtney’s £650,000 end of terrace house in Plumstead was nicknamed Camelot Castle and included huge murals showing him wearing armour, sitting astride a war horse or on a throne shaped like a knuckleduster.
Teary neighbour Sheila Wellcome, 68, told The Sun: “I saw Dave at around 8pm.
“We knew Dave was in a lot of pain from terrible arthritis. He could barely roll a cigarette.
“But he seemed in good spirits. I passed him a cigarette over the wall and he was laughing and joking.”
She said Dave owned around 12 decommissioned firearms — including handguns, shotguns and rifles.
She added: “Police used to come round and check on them occasionally. To Dave, they were just ornaments.”
Market trader pal Chris Collins, 52, laid flowers at the scene.
He said: “The world is a worse place today having lost Dave.
“He had the scariest phone book this side of the moon, let me tell you — but he was an absolute gentleman. He didn’t want to miss out on a minute of life. He was frightened of missing out.”
Friends said Courtney had suffered money troubles, ill health, and family rows in recent months.
A statement from the family said: “Dave tragically took his own life in the early hours with a firearm at his Camelot Castle home in Plumstead. Details about funeral arrangements will be provided in due course.”
Amid tributes appearing on social media yesterday, Pat Courtney simply wrote: “RIP bruv.”
After turning his back on a life of crime, Courtney wrote about being shot and having to kill to stay alive.
He claimed to have links with gangland legends such as Reggie Kray and Lenny McLean — and organised security at Kray’s funeral in 1995.
But Essex Boys associate Bernard O’Mahoney and Frankie Fraser, a former member of the feared Richardson gang of the 1960s, accused Courtney of fabricating and embellishing his past.
Courtney was married to Jennifer Lucrea Pinto, who he met while she was working at a nightclub.
But their relationship hit the rocks in 2004, when Courtney was accused of beating her during a row over her then lesbian lover. He was cleared of all charges.
Courtney served a prison sentence in tough Belmarsh nick, but in 2009 avoided jail time after being charged with two firearm offences.
His death is not being probed by the Met’s homicide command.
They are leaving it to local officers to deal with, suggesting they do not believe it is suspicious.
Times Newspapers LtdCourtney and an act he was promoting in 1993[/caption]
Gary StoneGrieving family and friends gather outside his house[/caption]
You’re Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123
Movember, www.uk.movember.com
Anxiety UK www.anxietyuk.org.uk, 03444 775 774 Monday-Friday 9.30am-10pm, Saturday/Sunday 10am-8pm
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