Chesterfield brother of murdered “Essex boy” breaks silence of nearly 30 years with book

Brian Rolfe’s brother Craig Rolfe was shot dead along with two other drug dealers in a Range Rover on a farm track in Essex in 1995.

The killings – which became known as the Rettendon or the Essex murders – shocked the country and have been the subject of several films, books and documentaries.

Craig, aged 26 at the time of his death, was found in the car with Tony Tucker, 38, and Patrick Tate, 37.

Two men – Jack Arthur Whomes and Michael John Steele – were convicted of the murders in 1998 and jailed for life, although questions were raised over the reliability of evidence used in their trial.

Brian, 61, moved to Chesterfield 25 years ago after meeting his future wife Deborah while working in the area.

Speaking about the decision to break his silence, he said: “About 21 years ago I had a lady at the door from Cosmopolitan magazine and she offered me £20,000 for the story.

"I said I wasn’t interested because if you start naming people you get comebacks, so I kept my mouth shut.”

However, some years later while on holiday in Tenerife Brian was inspired to tell his version of events.

He had seen a documentary featuring Bernard O’Mahoney – the doorman-turned author who worked at Raquel’s nightclub in Basildon, Essex, where many of the drugs supplied by the three murdered Essex boys were sold.

Craig has been portrayed in many accounts as, in Brian’s words, “the idiot” or “the gofer” of the operation – something which he disputes.

Brian’s book – The Lost Essex Boy: The true story of Craig Rolf – tells how he and Craig were placed at separate boarding schools by social care as children, later recounting how Craig got involved with other gang member Tony Tucker and they began dealing ecstasy.

He said: “It was Craig’s idea, Tony was the muscle side and they were selling untold Es at the time – then there were armed robberies, robbing dealers.

"I was the getaway driver but it’s all on police record, I’ve been done for everything and served my time. I wanted people to know Craig’s story, about how he got involved in drugs. He was never really involved in anything as such before.

"He loved his fishing and went for trials at Southend United, he had a career. He was a lovely, quiet, shy kid.”

However Brian, who was six years older than Craig, blames himself for his brother’s descent into the criminal world. He said: “When he was 18 I took him clubbing in London and he took his first E.

"I don’t know why but he realised when you’re buying them for £7 and sell them for £20 you could make money and he wanted the sort of life I had, with smart clothes, nice cars.

"He didn’t want to work for anyone – before that he was crime-free. But he started buying drugs in bulk and then he met Tony.”

Eventually, says Brian, Craig was the main supplier of drugs to all of the nightclubs in Essex.

Recalling his and Craig’s childhood in Basildon, Essex, Brian said: “Our dad was killed and Craig was born in Holloway Prison. Mum came out of prison with Craig and met someone else who didn’t like us and used to beat us every day.

"We were begging on the streets of Basildon, robbing from shops. Our mum was known as ‘no knickers’ - when we were out begging for food, people used to say ‘where’s no knickers?’.

Brian’s own involvement with the gang comprised of defrauding people of high-value vehicles such as campervans, cars, jetskis and speedboats which were sold on to fund the drugs operation.

He recalls the last time he saw brother Craig alive – the night before he was killed – at his mother’s home. Brian said: “We had a chat and went out to the Land Rover – he had a gun in the glove compartment and two kilos of coke.

"I went back to Barrow-in-Furness where I was working and I got a phone call the next day that he’d been killed. I went back to work the next day, I thought it was a joke and I couldn’t believe it until I started seeing it on the TV.

"But when you’ve got someone who’s never been shown affection in life it’s hard to show affection yourself. I didn’t go to the funeral because I was told that if I did I would be shot.”

Father-of-two Brian, having now published his book which gives graphic detail of various people’s involvement, says however that he no longer fears any comeback.

He added: “I’m not worried, I’ve been back to Basildon. It’s so old now I think people can’t be bothered and I think if anything happens to me, their names are out there.

"Writing it has taken a lot of pressure off me and it’s put things to rest. None of our family talk. People keep making remarks, saying ‘isn’t it about time you told the truth about your brother instead of hiding?’, so I thought, yeah, I will come out. And people’s opinions...I thought I’d just put mine and Craig’s story, mainly Craig’s story out there.”

The Lost Essex Boy: The true story of Craig Rolf is available to buy on Amazon. Most of the proceeds from sale of the book will go to Craig’s daughter.