The man who fell to his death on the King’s Road was a notorious fraudster who was WANTED by police, The Chelsea Citizen can reveal.

Following a week-long special investigation, The Citizen has been told by multiple sources that the man who died on Easter Monday morning was arch conman Karl Cronin.

An appeal to find Cronin was aired on Crimewatch in December 2008 after an arrest warrant had been issued against him by Met Police for “large-scale property fraud”. He had managed to evade British police ever since. 

Despite putting the name to Met. Police earlier this week, its press office refused to confirm the identity of the man to The Citizen. 

Cronin – thought to have been 63-years-old – fell from a window of a second floor flat to the pavement of the King’s Road at around 5am on Easter Monday. The flat is directly opposite Bluebird restaurant. At the time, investigating officers asked to see CCTV footage from Bluebird’s cameras.

Cronin’s father has been informed of his son’s death, but the body has not been released pending toxicology reports, so a funeral is yet to be planned.

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Cronin had been on the run following allegations of his part in a £5m property fraud – mainly targeted against landlords and property owners in Chelsea and Fulham during the early 2000s. Sources have claimed to The Citizen that the fraud is thought to have been closer to £10m.

Cronin was named and implicated in a high profile trial that led to the imprisonment in 2017 of a model and her mother in a £1.2m property loan swindle in Kensington during 2014. Laylah de Cruz and her 61-year-old mother Dianne Moorcroft  conned a 91-year-old heiress – who has since died – to raise cash against her home. It was claimed in court that de Cruz had been “dazzled” by Cronin in Dubai and that it was he who had masterminded the fraud. De Cruz and her mother were jailed for five and three years at Southwark Crown Court, but Cronin was on the run and evaded prosecution.

Cronin had been in prison in New York for a year after being convicted of money laundering. He had been extradited from Hungary by FBI agents. He was released in November 2025 and had returned to the UK, under supervision of US authorities. Remarkably, he was not arrested by UK police upon arrival at Heathrow airport.

Confusion surrounds the circumstances that allowed Cronin to return to the UK and live freely. The Citizen is aware of certain theories and has detailed reports of the explanation Cronin gave to his friends, but we are withholding these allegations at this stage for legal reasons. He had been living in Chelsea since around December.

Cronin’s friends have expressed shock at his death, but few are showing signs of sympathy. “He did a lot of bad things in his life and destroyed many, many lives,” said one person who knew him well. “He lived through lies and deceit and he had a ruthless streak. 

“All he cared about was money, dating young women, and having a good time. It did not matter who got hurt along the way. There have been a lot of people laughing that his life has ended this way. There’s the feeling that he got what he deserved.”

Another friend was more sanguine: “He was a loveable rogue, almost like an Arthur Daley figure. He was always good company, the life and soul of a party and someone who was living life to the full. But he caused a lot of damage, there is no doubt about that.”

Mystery and many unanswered questions now surround his death. Did he fall in an accident after partying too hard on drugs, did he jump, or was there foul play?

The Citizen was the only media outlet to visit the scene on Easter Monday. Police on guard there refused to give details, but one officer said that the incident was being treated as “an accident” and that the man had fallen from a second floor window.

A narrow sash window that was partially open could be seen from the street, but there is no confirmation that this was the window where Cronin fell from.

“There is no way that Karl killed himself…”

The forensics tent that was erected to conceal Cronin’s body after the fall was in place all day on Easter Monday. Police said this was because they were awaiting a crime scene photographer.

The only statement released so far by Met. Police came on 7th April. It stated: ‘At around 05:00hrs on Monday, 6 April, police attended King’s Road, Chelsea where a man was located with serious injuries after a fall from height. Officers called the London Ambulance Service and performed emergency first aid. Sadly, the man in his 50s was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. His next of kin have been informed. His death is being treated as unexpected and an investigation is ongoing.’

Multiple theories surrounding the circumstances of Cronin’s death are emerging, fuelled by rumours and suspicion. Some focus on his past crimes and others refer to his lifestyle, health and state of mind. 

One person who knew him well said: “There is no way Karl killed himself.  None of the people who knew him believe that is what happened. One thing is for sure – he had a lot of enemies.”

At this stage, The Citizen is not revealing full details of the wider speculation. What is clear, however, is that Cronin was a heavy cocaine user. During the weekend that he died, we have been told that he had been out with a male friend who was also a heavy drug user.

One pal added: “Karl has changed in recent times and that was all down to the amount of coke he was doing. He had become paranoid and was in a bad way with his health.”

Cronin was an Englishman who grew up in the Weybridge area of Surrey. He became a well-known and flamboyant figure on the party scene of Chelsea and surrounding neighbourhoods throughout the 1990s and 2000s. It was during this period that he turned to property fraud to fund his high living.

During the Crimewatch episode in 2008, Kirsty Young linked to the popular section known as ‘UK’s Most Wanted’. Co-presenter Rav Wilding then introduced the segment beginning with focusing on Suspect “No.1” – Cronin. He said:  

“I’ve got some right turkeys here. Let’s see if we can ruin their Christmas. First up is Karl Cronin. He is wanted for large-scale property fraud in London and Surrey. He has got as many as 11 aliases including James Moore, Jonathan Carson and Andrew Tapper.  No.2 is….”

Widespread online news followed the Crimewatch report, but the police hunt for Cronin went cold. Through interviews with members of Cronin’s social circle and numerous social media posts, The Citizen has pieced together a detailed portrait of Cronin’s life on the run. 

He lived the high life in many of the world’s hot spots – including Dubai and Bali – and was open about his criminal past to many people he met along the way. He is always seen in social posts in super luxury cars – such as Rolls Royces, Ferraris, and Aston Martins – and is always with an array of attractive young women.

But how did he manage to live so openly and extravagantly for so long without ever being extradited to Britain?

The Citizen is preparing a full-length feature article about his life on the run. Coming soon…

 

Karl Cronin: The Life and Crimes of the Man who Fell to Earth.

  

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