Personal Life
Born in Bermondsey, London, Courtney often focuses on his links with hard men such as Reggie Kray and the infamous Lenny McLean, though in the case of the former, he was nine years old when Kray was imprisoned. Courtney has claimed to have been shot, stabbed, had his nose bitten off, and stated that he has had to kill to stay alive himself. He also makes the claim that unarmed police officers were behind a car crash on the M20 in an attempt to kill him.
He often refers to himself as Dave Courtney OBE–"One Big Ego"–but is not an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. His house in south London, called 'Camelot', is decorated with Union Flags, a painted depiction of himself as a knight and a large knuckle duster.
Courtney claims to have been involved in debt-collecting, minding clubs, assault, contraband, and murder. He also claims he has spent time in the notorious Belmarsh Prison as a high security prisoner, which has been backed up by ex-prison guard Jim Dawkins in his book "The Loose Screw". In his book F**k the Ride, Courtney claims to have been found not guilty in 19 separate trials. Dave has cultivated a reputation for using the knuckle duster when debt-collecting and was known as "The Yellow Pages Of The Underworld".
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