Alex Crazenovski

Who was Alex Crazenovski?

Alexandrou "Alex" Crazenovski was a Polish immigrant who settled in Garforth, Leeds and married an English girl Moira Anderson in a bid to stay in the country.

Crazenovski was recently the subject of a BBC drama serial A Passionate Woman, which told the story of Crazenovski's life of crime, gambling and womanising, in particular, his affair with neighbour Betty Stevenson.

When Moira discovered a letter from one of his lovers, she went to the fairground where he worked and shot him several times in front of dozens of witnesses. Alex Crazenovski died instantly.

After the shooting, Moira Crazenovski was put on remand and charged with his murder. She was later sentenced to 25 years in prison at Leeds Crown Court. She was released in 1971 after serving 19 years of her sentence, and she actively set about seeking out her adopted son Alex and also her friend Betty Stevenson, whom she did not realise had had an affair with her husband 30 years ago.

Moira Crazenovski still lives in the Garforth area of Leeds today. She never remarried.