Charles “Darby” Sabini was originally introduced to us in the hit television series Peaky Blinders.
Sabini was one of the few characters in the show that was loosely based on a real-life person, despite the fact that most characters were.
Who was Charles Sabini?
Charles Sabini is a Londoner from Clerkenwell Green.
Ottavio Handley, his real name, was born on July 11, 1888.
Sabini’s mother was English and his father was an immigrant from Italy.
He was raised in what was referred to as London’s “Little Italy.”
What was Charles Sabini known for?
He was referred to by many as Darby Sabini because, like many gang members of the era, he began his career as a pickpocket.
The enormous sums of money available in the extortion of bookies at the racetracks then drew Sabini’s attention.
As they fought for control of the tracks, this resulted in bloody encounters with rival gangs, including Billy Kimber.
The historic “Racecourse Wars” between Kimber’s gang and the Sabinis occurred in 1921.
The two competing groups eventually agreed to a truce and divided the loot.
Due to the resurgence of the gang conflicts, a newspaper published an article outlining Darby Sabini’s criminal hegemony.
He attempted to sue the newspaper but did not show up for the hearing because, according to him, he could not afford the £75 fee for a lawyer. As a result, he was assessed total costs of £775 against him.
As a result of the entire incident, Sabini was declared bankrupt.
When did Charles Sabini die?
He passed away on October 4, 1950, at the age of 62.
He had moved to Brighton by this point in his life and was working as a bookie.
It made sense because he had undoubtedly been closely associated with that job for the duration of his life.
