Charles "Darby" Sabini (born Ottavio Handley; 11 July 1888 – 4 October 1950)[1] was a British-Italian mob boss and considered[by whom?]

[4] He was the illegitimate child of either Italian immigrant Ottavio Sabini from Parma in Italy[4] or Charles Handley, a builders' labourer.

[5] Ottavio Sabini (1853–1902) was a carman (a driver of a horse-drawn delivery vehicle)[7] of Italian descent, whom Charles later would describe as a father.

Eventually leaving school in July 1902, at age thirteen he became involved with boxing promoter Dai (Dan) Sullivan.

The protection rackets proved to be extremely profitable and drew attention from other gangs such as Billy Kimber's Birmingham Boys.

Violence between the groups increased, but the Birmingham boys were forced to vacate their claims when 23 of their number were locked up following the "Epsom Road Battle".

[10][11] In 1929, the Jockey Club and the Bookmakers' Protection Association took measures to prevent Sabini from controlling the best pitches and his other affairs on the racecourses came under attack from the police.

[5] As he began to make less money, Sabini shifted his business to protection rackets at greyhound tracks as well as at drinking and gambling clubs located in the West End of London.

[citation needed] After the outbreak of the Second World War, Sabini was arrested at Hove Greyhound Stadium in April 1940 and interned as an enemy alien, despite his mixed parentage and inability to speak Italian.