Buster Edwards

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Buster Edwards (born Ronald Edwards) (1932 - November 28, 1994) was a former boxer, nightclub owner, and member of the gang that committed the Great Train Robbery. He was captured in 1966 and sentenced to 15 years in jail. After his release in 1980 he later ran a flower stall outside Waterloo Station. He was played by Phil Collins in the 1988 film Buster. He committed suicide by hanging in 1994.

[edit] Dexter Fletcher

In 1991, Buster Edwards was himself the victim of a theft, albeit of a more mundane nature. On Saturday 15th June at about 3:00pm, British actor Dexter Fletcher ran along Mepham Street and scooped up two bunches of Nasturtiums valued at £5.00 from Edwards’ stall. Edwards declined to chase Fletcher for fear of leaving his stall unattended. Fletcher was seen to run off on to York Road with the flowers. Edwards reported the theft to the police, identifying his assailant as being, “That lad out of The Rachel Papers”. Fletcher was unlucky in the timing of his theft because Edwards had seen the film for the first time only days before. Fletcher was arrested and charged with theft. The following week Fletcher appeared at Horseferry Road Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty. He was given a Conditional Discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay £30.00 costs. In mitigation Fletcher said that the flowers were for his girlfriend Julia Sawalha, but that he had lost his cash-card and was unable to obtain funds to pay for the flowers. Fletcher subsequently apologised to Edwards and compensated him for the flowers.^[1]