A GANGSTER shot himself in the head because he could no longer stand the crippling pain from arthritis, a court heard.
Courtney, who claimed to be an associate of 1960s gangland criminals the Kray twins, swapped an earlier life of crime for writing books in his later years.
He was found dead by his friend, actor Brendan McGirr, at his home in Plumstead, south-east London, with a gunshot wound.
Southwark Coroner’s Court heard he was also battling prostate cancer and was struggling to get up and down stairs and into a car.
Courtney, 64, took his own life with a Glock 9mm pistol on October 22, 2023.
Senior coroner Dr Julian Morris concluded after a short inquest on Thursday that he took his own life.
Courtney had seemed “happy and chirpy” on October 21 after watching his beloved Charlton beat Reading 4-0 at the Valley with two friends.
They went to the pub before watching England lose to South Africa in the semi final of the rugby World Cup at Camelot Castle.
Detective Sergeant James Robinson earlier told the court about videos Courtney made in the months before his death.
In one of them he spoke about his rheumatoid arthritis and how he was “disguising a lot of pain”, the court heard.
“I’m having to hide the fact that I can’t get up and down the stairs and in and out of the car and I’m not enjoying it at the moment,” he said.
“That’s really it. I don’t want to go waste having a wicked life like I’ve had. Absolutely superb.”
In a 35-second video in the early hours of October 22, 2023, Courtney apologised to the people in his life
He added: “There’s people that are going to be upset. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
A police investigation into his death concluded that there was “no evidence of third party involvement”, Mr Robinson said.
Courtney had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2015 and osteoarthritis in 2019.
As a filmmaker Courtney had collected up to 70 firearms, which had been decommissioned or fired blanks only, the court heard.
The Bermondsey-born gangster claimed to have been shot, stabbed and had his nose almost bitten off in brushes with his rivals.
He is said to have been the inspiration for Vinnie Jones‘ character Big Chris in the film Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
