Peter the Painter

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Peter the Painter, the alias of Peter Piaktow (or Piatkov, or Piaktoff), was the leader of a gang of Latvian revolutionary criminals in the early 20th Century. After fighting in and escaping the Sidney Street Siege in 1911, he became an anti-hero in London's East End. He was never caught. There is some question of whether or not he actually ever existed.

The type of gun he allegedly used, a German Mauser C96 pistol, was also sometimes called a Peter the Painter after him, particularly in Ireland during the War of Independence and later.

A new social housing development (2006) on the corner of Sidney Street and Commercial Road has been called Peter House and Painter House, a reference to Piaktow.