Linda Calvey


Linda Calvey is an English murderer and armed robber, jailed for killing her lover Ronnie Cook in 1990. She was known as the "Black Widow" because all of her lovers ended up either dead or in prison.

Previous criminal career

Calvey began her criminal career as a lookout, later becoming a getaway driver and eventually wielding guns herself during robberies.

Murder of Cook

She paid a hitman, Daniel Reece, £10,000 to kill Cook. However he lost his nerve at the last minute and Calvey picked up the gun herself, shooting the victim at point blank range, whilst he knelt in front of her.
At the time of her release Calvey was Britain's longest serving female prisoner. She spent 18 and a half years in prison for the murder of Cook and had also previously served three and a half years for an earlier robbery.
In 2002 a book by Kate Kray detailing Calvey's life and crimes was published.