FROM pro-peadophile advocates to leaders of organised crime and even terrorists - there are lots of stories lurking behind the walls of HMP Lewes. 

Her Majesty's Prison in Lewes was originally built in 1853 and has a long and notorious history of housing some of Britain's most notorious criminals.

The category B prison houses local prisoners taken directly from courts in the area and holds both long-term and high-security prisoners. 

It holds around 742 male prisoners and is comprised of a number of 'wings' including a drug and alcohol support wing, one for sex offenders and general population wings.

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Here are some of the most notorious criminals to ever be locked up at HM Prison Lewes: 

Khalid Masood

The Argus:

Khalid Masood(Metropolitan Police/PA)

Khalid Masood is the attacker shot dead by police during the 2017 Westminster attack in London. 

Born in Kent as Adrian Russell Elms, Masood was raised in Rye and later attended school in Kent as a teenager. 

In 2000, he was sentenced to two years in prison for grievous bodily harm after a knife attack in a public house in Northiam in Sussex.

In 2003, he was sentenced to a further six months in prison for possession of an offensive weapon following another knife attack in Eastbourne in Sussex.

As well as these two prison terms, Masood had convictions for public order offences going back to 1983.

He converted to Islam while in prison and changed his name to Khalid Masood in 2005. 

Masood said in a final text message that he was waging jihad in revenge for Western military action in Muslim countries in the Middle East.

However police have found no link with a terrorist organisation and believe Masood acted alone.

Reginald Kray

The Argus:

The Kray twins Ronnie (left) and Reggie were both given life prison sentences for murder in 1969. (PA Archive Images)

Reginald Kray - one of the infamous Kray twins - was an inmate at Lewes prison after being sentenced in 1969 to life imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 30 years, for two murders - the longest sentences ever passed at the Old Bailey for murder. 

The criminal twins had been perpetrators of organised crime in the East End of London during the 1950s to their arrest in 1967. 

Their gang, known as the Firm, was involved in murder, armed robbery, arson, protection rackets and assaults. 

They gained notoriety as West End club owners mixing with politicians and celebrities including Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland - they were even photographed by David Bailey and interviewed on TV. 

Both twins were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1969 for the murder of Jack 'the Hat' McVitie and George Cornell.

Ronald Kray was sent to Broadmoor while Reginald frequented a number of prisons including HMP Lewes. 

Frank Lawless

The Argus:

An early member of Sinn Féin and the Gaelic League was a revolutionary and politician from Northern Ireland. 

Frank Lawless took part in the armed insurrection in Ireland, known as the Easter Rising in 1916. 

Acting as second-in-command during the uprising he was initially condemned to death but this was commuted to ten years' in prison. 

He was imprisoned at HMP Lewes with Harry Boland (President of the Irish Republican Brotherhood) however, he was released in the amnesty of 1917. 

Tom O'Carroll 

The Argus:

A single cell at HMP Lewes.

Infamous pro-peadophile advocate Tom O'Carroll was imprisoned at HMP Lewes after being sentenced for two years in 1981. 

In 1981 he was convicted for conspiracy to corrupt public morals and later for the distribution of child pornography, and has multiple convictions for sexual offences against children.

O'Carroll is a former chairman of the now disbanded Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE) and was at one time a prominent member of the International Paedophile and Child Emancipation (now known as Ipce).

His 1981 conviction was due to a number of contact adverts in a section of the PIE  magazine - he served 16 months behind bars in three prisons: Wormwood Scrubs, Wandsworth and Lewes.

He had been eligible to apply for release at the 12-month stage but parole was refused and had been attacked on numerous occasions during his imprisonment. 

In 2015 he became a member of the Labour Party but was immediately expelled when this became public knowledge in 2016.