The villainous deeds of Kate ‘Ma’ Barker and her violent sons are probably known to more people around the word due to the Roger Corman movie ‘Bloody Mama’ and the 1977 hit song ‘Ma Baker’ by popsters Boney M.

However, the dance floor ditty failed to recount the extent of the crimes perpetrated by Barker and her four gun-toting sons in an era that also witnessed the height of gangster crime with the likes of Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger.

It is claimed that Ma Barker, who never actually murdered anyone, was used as a scapegoat by the notorious J Edgar Hoover and, as a consequence, was shot and killed by FBI agents under his instructions.