Faces of the Underworld 2

FACES



Bernard O’Mahoney and Brian Anderson.

First published in 2014 by True Crime Publishing, Second Floor, 13 Upper Baggot Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Copyright © Bernard O`Mahoney and Brian Anderson. 2014.

All rights reserved.
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is Available for this book.

ISBN 978-0-9567601-1-1

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise
circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and
without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Cover design: Martin Moore.
Typesetting:
Printed by:

www.truecrimepublishing.com
www.briananderson.photodeck.com

www.bernardomahoney.com

Acknowledgements

Brian Anderson

I wish to dedicate this book to my father Donny and mother Nancy. Never a day goes by when you are not in my thoughts. You
will be forever missed. Also, the two princesses in my life; my lovely wife and best friend Margaret and our daughter Katelyn. Love
to both of you until the end of time.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank some very special and genuine friends who were by my side during the ups and downs
that the hand of life sometimes deals us all. Ian The Terminator Gilles, Chris Nicoletti, Bowden and the great team that is Cranhill
Arts Project. Also for their kindness, Stephen Cobain, the super talented Scott Peden , Gerry Duffy, Wee Glasgow Jamie, Christian
Simpson, John McKelvie Jnr, Kenny Ross aka Knuckles! Alistair Baird and the lads on the Daily Record picture desk.
Love and respect to you all.

Bernard O’Mahoney

I wish to dedicate this book to my late mother Ann and late wife Emma, taken too soon but you have never left my thoughts. Also
my late brother-in-law Elric, my children Adrian, Vinney, Karis, Daine, Lydia and Paddy, their children Charlie, Poppy, Alanah and
Micky. Last but by no means least my extremely beautiful wife Roshea who has been at my side through every crisis, moment of
madness and joy. I love you and shall do so for all time. The only wealth in this world is our children, inspire them, cherish them
and ensure you make them deliriously happy because in later life they are the ones who get to choose our care homes.

Making Faces

It has taken Brian Anderson and I six and a half years to complete Faces part one and two. Our journey through the underworld
has been interesting, enlightening, lots of fun but occasionally concerning. It all began one winters evening back in 2007
when I received a call from Brian who I had not previously met or indeed heard of. He explained that he was a Glasgow based
photographer and that he had an idea for a book. We met and on 31 January 2008 the first photo shoot for Faces took place
at Patsy Manning’s home in Birmingham. The following morning we headed for London to photograph the Dixon brothers,
Albert Donoghue, Billy Frost, Lenny Hamilton, Jimmy Evans and Freddie Foreman. Our extraordinary journey had truly
begun.

In the years that followed Brian and I travelled to nearly every major city in the UK. We also visited Ulster, the Irish Republic and
Spain. We attended funerals, weddings, people’s homes and workplaces, docks, airports, prisons, pubs, clubs and countless court
cases. Memories of our stay at what resembled the Bates Motel in Blackpool, a dead dog in a man’s coffin and breaking into a
prison to photograph a person who shall remain nameless will remain with me forever. The vast majority of the people we met
made us feel extremely welcome but there was a minority that attempted to intimidate us by issuing direct or indirect threats
of violence. Roy `Pretty Boy` Shaw was initially happy to be included in the book but a trouble making wannabe (now deceased)
convinced Roy that we had somehow misled him. Roy had then telephoned Brian and threatened to stab him. Understandably,
Brian considered emigrating the same day. Rather than lose my co-author through death or enforced absence I contacted Roy,
allayed his fears and eventually common sense prevailed. On a separate occasion another notorious villain had telephoned me
and asked if I had health care insurance. I was fairly sure that this particular individual hadn’t turned a corner in his life and
become an insurance salesman and so I enquired why he should ask. “Because you’re going to fucking need it,” he replied. My
crime? I had sent him a letter asking if he would agree to be photographed for the book. For every person that declined to be
in Faces we received fifty demands from fools and frauds desperate to be included. Despite their threats or offers of favours all
were declined. In January 2011 Brian and I completed the first Faces book and set about trying to find a publisher. We knew
exactly how we wanted the book to look but sadly none of those that we approached shared our vision. This was because the
format we asked for was simply too expensive to produce. Not wishing to compromise on quality I decided to sell my home and
set up my own publishing company in Dublin. I then flew to China where I met various printers before securing a deal with a
company in Hangzhou. The first Faces book went on sale in April 2011. In 2014 a hugely successful six part television series titled
British Gangsters: Faces of the Underworld, (which was based on the book) was broadcast. A series based on Faces 2 is currently
in production. Brian and I are extremely proud of both the Faces books and the television series. We are eternally grateful to all
of those featured and all of those that assisted us in making them. Sadly, some of the people included in the books have passed
away since being photographed. They never got to see the end product and so Brian and I would like to dedicate this book to their
memory. In the end, all we have is our story.

Tam McGraw, Charlie Richardson, Danny Woolard, Billy Isaac, Jimmy Evans, Eric Mason, Gary Moore, John `Mario` Cunningham,
Bruce Reynolds, Ronnie Biggs. Bertie Costa, Roy Shaw, Norman Johnson, Henry `Buller` Ward, Joe Carrington, Dave Legano and
Walter Norval.

Brian Anderson

Brian Anderson was born in Glasgow and has been working
as a press photographer since the early 90’s for various news
agencies. Brian discovered a love for his craft when his local
arts club gave him a camera. Photography has since become
his passion. His work has been used for numerous book covers
and in magazines and newspapers worldwide. In 2007 and 2009
Brian’s work was nominated for the Scottish Press Awards in the
News Photographer of the Year category.

Personal Details

Brian is happily married to his childhood sweetheart Margaret;
they have a daughter named Katelyn. They currently reside in
the East End of Glasgow.

Bernard O’Mahoney

Bestselling author Bernard O’Mahoney was born in Dunstable,
Bedfordshire, where he regularly bore the brunt of his father’s
psychotic violence. After a spell in the army, he served two
prison sentences for wounding before moving to Basildon and
forming the Essex Boys firm, one of the most successful and
violent criminal gangs in British history.

When O’Mahoney quit the firm, he received death threats from
three of his fellow gang members, who were murdered less
than a fortnight later. He was arrested in the aftermath of the
triple executions but was never charged. The Essex Boys firm
has been the subject of five films and numerous books, but the
gang’s infamous activities are only one remarkable aspect of
O’Mahoney’s extraordinary life story.

After being tarnished by newspapers with false allegations
concerning his involvement in several gangland crimes,
O’Mahoney decided to pick up the pen and tell his side of the
story. He has since written twenty true crime books and in 2014
presented the hugely successful British Gangsters: Faces of the
Underworld six part TV series.

Ode to the Code

Friday 9 April 2010. St Patricks Church, High Spen Tyne and Wear. On our journey through the underworld, photographer
Brian Anderson and I have encountered sadness, joy, fear and utter bloody madness. But of all the highs and lows that we
have experienced, today of all days is one that neither of us will ever forget. The thousands of words that I have written and
the magnificent collection of photographs that Brian has taken all seem pretty meaningless. The romantic notion that once
surrounded Robin Hood type villains of yesteryear is no more. The harsh reality of modern day crime has come to visit us. We are
sitting on a bench overlooking Hookergate Cemetery which is adjacent to St. Patrick’s Church. Before us are breathtaking views
of the Derwent Valley and above us, a clear blue sky and radiant sun. This idyllic setting has been violated by the howling of what
sounds like a wounded animal. It disturbs all that hear it because the sound is emanating from a young woman so overcome by
grief that she cannot stand un-aided. People embrace her; others walk away and begin to weep themselves. Brian and I cannot
bear to look and so we gaze at the floor in silence. Twenty-four year-old Dean Graham, son of Tyneside legend Viv, is dead. In the
prime of his life Dean had been found slumped at the wheel of his car which was parked on wasteland adjacent to an industrial
estate. Leaving behind a daughter and a doting girlfriend, the young man had died from a heroin overdose. On New Year’s Eve
1993, his father Viv had met his death amidst a hail of bullets. Nobody has ever been charged with his murder but it is common
knowledge in the north-east that his execution was ordered because he was preventing a well known gang of drug dealers from
peddling their pills and powders in the numerous pubs and clubs where he supplied the security.

Drugs, the very thing that Viv had lost his life fighting against had been embraced and abused by one of his own children. If
anybody should have been anti-drugs one imagines it would have been Dean Graham. His death is a tragic example of how the old
school values that his father adhered to have been discarded by the current generation. In Britain today drugs are the criminal’s
commodity and the most feared men on the streets are the ones who can afford the most powerful weapons. Nobody cares if you
can fight anymore because they all know that no man can beat a bullet. Informing has also become an accepted weapon against
rivals rather than something no moral man would previously have comprehended. Gone forever is the era when the drug world
was deemed seedy and un-inhabitable. Today musicians, the media and movie makers portray it as a working man’s paradise that
promises fast cars, fast cash and fast women. In communities throughout Britain, drug barons are being given an almost celebrity
status. They mix with soap stars, Premiership footballers and dine in the finest restaurants. Little wonder their minions aspire to
be just like them. Previously, if you were a working class kid and your aim was fame you had to train hard to become a boxer or
a footballer. Now all one has to do is sell drugs or shoot a rival, get sent to prison, write a book about your exploits and wait for
the film offers to come flooding in. Welcome to the new glitzy underworld where money talks, death constantly stalks and Judas
is revered.

1











Think of Liverpool and the mind will conjure up images of poor social housing, high unemployment and abstract poverty. But it
was not always so. In the 18th century Liverpool was an extremely prosperous place to live because of the success of its port.
But that success had been built upon a history of extreme human suffering. On 3 October 1699, the city’s first ‘recorded’ slave
ship, named Liverpool Merchant, had set sail. It arrived in Barbados via Africa with a cargo of 220 men and children who were
then sold as slaves to plantation owners. The children who were between the ages of six and ten were then used to carry water
to the adult workers but few of them lived beyond the age of twenty-six. We are all aware that six million Jews were murdered
in German concentration camps but the plight of an estimated thirty million black Africans who died being enslaved is largely
forgotten. Regrettably, the `victors` always get to write our history. By the close of the 18th century 40% of the worlds and 80%
of Britain’s slave trading was accounted for by the ships that voyaged from Liverpool. In just twelve months, vessels from the city
carried more than 45,000 slaves from Africa. The vast profits from this trade transformed Liverpool into one of Britain’s leading
cities. As the world changed so too did attitudes towards those that cashed in on the misery of others. Slavery was made illegal
in 1807 but was not abolished in British colonies until 1833.

Despite the end of slavery, the city of Liverpool continued to benefit from international trade. Ships transported a wide range of
commodities - including cotton, for which the city became the leading world market, supplying the textile mills of Lancashire. By
the early 20th century, Liverpool was at its peak. As well as its thriving docks, the city had become well known for its inventions and
innovations, particularly in terms of infrastructure, transportation and general construction. Railways, ferries and the skyscraper
were all pioneered in the city. Its position on the north-west coast - facing the Americas, had ensured it dominated trans-Atlantic
trade earning it the nick-name, the New York of Europe. Its status as a port city had also given Liverpool a rich and diverse
population, which was drawn from a wide range of people, cultures, and religions. Liverpool became home to the oldest black
African community in Britain and the oldest Chinese community in Europe. But by the end of the Second World War, the city’s
hey day was over. As Britain traded more with Europe, Liverpool found itself on the wrong coast. Yet its days as Europe’s leading
international city had left a legacy. There were huge commercial buildings, long established immigrant communities and the first
signs of illegal drugs on its streets.

7



Liverpool Godfather Michael Showers grew up in Toxteth, the heartland of the city’s black community. He was aware of people
using cannabis from a very early age. Within Caribbean culture the use of cannabis is commonplace and so sailors and merchant
seamen visiting the port of Liverpool would often have small quantities of the drug with them. This created a demand for the
drug within the wider black community which Showers was keen to meet. By the 1950`s one third of all criminal convictions for
drugs in the UK were in Liverpool. Yet this drug dealing remained small scale and localised. For aspiring criminals, there were far
more obvious routes to riches.



Charlie Seiga is one of Liverpool’s most infamous villains. He was born in 1940 in the Huyton district of the city. Whilst still at
primary school Seiga’s elder brothers, Edward and Frederick were convicted of committing an armed robbery. The use of firearms
was rare in those days and so the case attracted a lot of local publicity. Edward was sentenced to five years imprisonment and
Frederick ten; the event brought shame upon the Seiga family. Aged just twelve, Charlie Seiga committed his first crime. He
cashed a benefit book that he had found in a local park. The money from this misdemeanour spurred him on to initially shoplift
and eventually commit burglaries. Charlie had chosen a life of crime simply because it offered him excitement and the money to
buy things his hard working parents could never afford. By his late teens Charlie had formed a gang which specialised in smash
and grab raids on jewellers. Just before Charlie’s 18th birthday, his brother Frederick was released from prison. Like all young
impressionable men who spend time within the penal system, Frederick’s understanding of all matters relating to crime had been
enhanced and his network of like minded people had been extended. Frederick was made aware of Charlie’s growing reputation
and so he invited him to join his gang.

Within weeks Charlie had learned how to handle explosives and blow safes. The first safe he blew open contained £2,500. The
average weekly wage at that time was £15. Inevitably Charlie’s criminal activities eventually came to the attention of the police
and he was sentenced to three years imprisonment for possession of a firearm.

Shortly after being released Charlie and several friends had been badly beaten in a gang fight and he had sworn revenge. After
arming himself with a handgun Charlie had gone to one of the opposing gang members houses and hammered on the door.
As the door opened Charlie raised the gun and prepared to fire. A policeman who had been visiting the property regarding an
unrelated matter called out when he saw the weapon and Charlie fled the scene. Later that night Charlie’s house was raided. He
was arrested, charged and sent to HMP Walton to await trial.

11







Whilst in custody Charlie became firm friends with an infamous villain from Stoke-on-Trent named Larry Parkes. Born in 1930
Parkes was an ex-professional middleweight boxer who had turned to crime after hanging up his gloves in the mid 50`s. Like
Charlie, Parkes was a skilled safe blower but he realised the security industry were producing more sophisticated and resilient
boxes and those in his profession would soon become redundant. Parkes advised Charlie to give up safe blowing because the
future for any villain lay in the age old profession of robbery.
The modus operandi of the criminal was not the only change that the early 60`s witnessed. Society was changing, a revolution in
youth culture with Liverpool and the Beatles at the forefront was transforming attitudes and drug use was on the rise. By 1966
Merseyside Police were forced to form a vice squad to deal with the problem. As the decade of decadence got into full swing
demand for drugs increased, so too did the opportunities for criminals to become involved in the lucrative trade. With people
pouring into the city each weekend to experience the Mersey music phenomenon, Michael Showers and his gang were never
short of customers to supply. Soon the boy from a terraced council house in Toxteth was touring the very streets he grew up in
behind the wheel of a brand new Rolls Royce. In April 1970 Showers blasted a man in both legs with a shotgun following a trivial
dispute and was sentenced to seven years imprisonment. The rise of the future Godfather of Toxteth had been temporarily
stalled.

15





When Charlie Seiga had been released from prison he formed his own gang and having took Larry Parkes’ advice, began robbing
banks and security vans. The gang were extremely successful, targeting premises and vehicles that they had often watched for
weeks. By the mid 80`s banks and security vans had beefed up their security making them more difficult to rob and so Seiga
had decided to retire. He opened a restaurant called The Sandfield which was located near West Derby Village. It was extremely
successful and attracted celebrities such as Tom O`Connor, Eddie Kidd and players from both Everton and Liverpool FC. Charlie
Seiga’s story should have ended there but in 1996 he was visiting a car showroom when a fit, tough looking man approached him
and asked, “Are you Charlie Seiga?” When Charlie confirmed that he was, the man introduced himself as George Bromley. He
then looked Charlie up and down and said that he had heard a lot about him. The pair chatted and a week later Bromley called at
Seiga’s home. It was agreed that Charlie would help Bromley to sell a large consignment of spirits that had been stolen from the
docks. Those that knew Seiga were extremely surprised that he was involving himself with a man such as Bromley. Throughout
Merseyside Bromley was well known and feared because he tortured and robbed drug dealers. One man who refused to reveal
the whereabouts of his money was disembowelled with a sheath knife. He survived but is confined to a wheelchair and attached
to a colostomy bag. A pregnant woman was almost kicked to death and another woman was bundled into a body bag in front of
her husband. It’s fair to say that George Bromley was as disliked as he was feared.

On Tuesday 18 November 1997 George Bromley arranged to meet Seiga between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. at his home. When
Bromley arrived Seiga went to put the kettle on. As he did so Bromley sat down at a table and began to read an early edition of the
local newspaper. Approximately four minutes after Bromley had arrived, the front door bell rang. When Seiga opened it a masked
man pointed a gun at his head and ordered him to step back. Seiga did as he was told and walked backwards into the lounge. The
gunman then ran past Seiga and shot George Bromley three times in the head. Seiga didn’t witness the execution; he had run and
hid in his garden where he remained until the gunman had departed. When Seiga cautiously re-entered his home it was obvious
to him that Bromley was dead because one half of his head was splashed across the kitchen floor.

18









The police refused to believe Seiga’s story and so he and an
associate named Joey Owens were arrested and charged
with murder. Owens is a high profile figure in Merseyside
and so his name is inevitably linked with many crimes he
has no involvement in or knowledge of. In the Bromley
case he was arrested and charged simply because he was
a close friend of Seiga’s and his fingerprints were found
on the newspaper that Bromley had been reading when
he met his death. A key prosecution witness mysteriously
disappeared before Owens’ trial could take place and so
the charge against him was subsequently dropped. Charlie
Seiga was found not guilty after a lengthy trial.

George Bromley’s family have never been able to escape
from the dark cloud his cruel behaviour and notoriety has
cast. His son George Jnr. affectionately known as Psycho, had
dated a local beauty named Lauren Ashcroft who also had
a relationship with Liverpool and England footballer Steven
Gerrard. It was alleged that George threatened to shoot
Gerrard in the legs unless he gave him cash. The allegation
was investigated but George Jnr. was never charged. He was
however charged and convicted of drug offences for which
he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment. George Jnr’s
younger brother Tony was hacked down from behind with
a machete after being chased through the streets by two
attackers on a motorbike. When he collapsed the eighteen-
year-old was repeatedly stabbed in the body, head and
legs. He died of his injuries at the scene. It later emerged
that the killers had a grievance with George Bromley Snr.
who had threatened them prior to his death.



Like the Bromley family, neither Charlie Seiga nor Joey Owens has avoided misfortune. A month after Seiga was acquitted of
Bromley’s murder four armed men kidnapped him and demanded a £100,000 ransom from his brother Joseph. During his ordeal,
which lasted two days, Seiga was beaten with the butt of a shotgun, subjected to a mock execution, had boiling water poured
over his face and legs and was threatened with needles which his abductors claimed were infected with the Aids virus. After his
brother paid £17,000 to the kidnappers, Charlie was released. In separate incidents Joey Owens was shot in the back and his
seventy-five year-old mother’s home was petrol bombed. He was also arrested for conspiracy to murder Nathan Jones and Kevin
`Mad Dog` Maguire. A lone gunman had blasted both men as they worked out at a gym in the Crosby district of the city. Owens
was also arrested for the murder of Stephen Cole who had stabbed one of his closest friends. A twenty strong gang, armed with
knives, machetes and baseball bats, attacked Cole who was having a quiet drink with his wife at the Farmers Arms pub in the
Fazakerley district of Liverpool. Witnesses told police that the gang carried on beating Cole around the head with bats even after
he was dead. When questioned about the killing Owens told detectives, “Locals have renamed the Farmers Arms the Miners
Arms, because there are bits of Cole all over it.”

In an effort to intimidate Owens, rivals took the unusual step of placing a series of cryptic and rather juvenile notices in the
Liverpool Echo over a week long period. One published in the birthday section of the newspaper read, “65: Joseph Patrick
Owens the oldest man in club land, hang up your gloves (yer pigeon). Don’t spend your entire pension in one shop. Enjoy your
retirement.” Owens responded by telling reporters, “If people genuinely have a problem with me then they know where to find
me.” Some may say rather wisely, that none of Owens’ tormentors have to date accepted his invitation.

25



In 2010 Owens’ close friend Nicky Ayers became embroiled in a trivial dispute with an extremely volatile villain that spiralled out
of control. Nicky Ayers managed an under 12`s football team from the Norris Green area called Western Approaches. During a
game against their bitter rivals, a team from the Croxteth area called the Lobster FC, a fight broke out between two men and one
was stabbed in the hand. The game was subsequently abandoned. At the time, Liverpool and District Sunday League officials said
only a visible police presence at games between the children’s teams would deter “the idiots determined to cause mischief”.
When the teams met again witnesses said that a man armed with a samurai sword had been looking for Ayers near the dressing
rooms. During the game a transit van entered a car park adjacent to the pitch, the back doors flew open and several shots were
fired at Ayers. The referee halted the match and took the youngsters away. At another match, Ayers and his rival both pulled out
guns and pointed them at each other before onlookers managed to calm the situation. A few days later a bull terrier was tied to
a post, doused in petrol and set on fire. It was reported that the horrific killing of the dog was linked to the ongoing feud. Shortly
after these events, Ayers was confronted by a gunman as he approached his mother-in-law’s home. At least six shots were fired
and Ayers died where he fell. The following morning notorious mobster James `Pancake` Taylor was arrested, questioned and
released on bail. Nicky Ayers’ murder remains unsolved. Taylor was given the nickname Pancake because he would regularly flip.
(Lose his temper.)

Nobody can say with any certainty what sparked a bloody gangland war in Liverpool, the likes of which no other British city has
ever endured. Some say hard man Shaun Smith’s mother-in-law had been assaulted by a member of the notorious Richardson
family. Others believe it was a turf war concerning the right to sell drugs in the 051 nightclub which had a reputation for violence
and was controlled by Smith. Allegations that customers at the venue were tortured are numerous. One man was left fighting for
his life after one disgruntled customer reversed a lorry through the main reception area. It’s more likely that the war broke out
over a catalogue of festering minor incidents rather than one specific matter. On one side of the divide stood Shaun Smith and
a family called Lynch. On the other stood James `Pancake` Taylor, brothers Mark, Paul and Tony Richardson, and their numerous
associates. In the first attack Tony Richardson’s home was sprayed with gunfire. A few days later a huge car bomb exploded
outside the 051 club shattering windows in nearby hotels, shops and offices. Miraculously no one was hurt. Six days later a nail
bomb was tossed into the middle of the packed Dickie Lewis pub in Kirkdale. The device, which skidded across the dance floor,
had been lit but failed to detonate. Police are in no doubt that if the bomb, filled with razor-sharp shards of metal, had exploded
it would have claimed numerous lives.

27



Nineteen-year-old Danny McDonald, who was supposedly responsible for the grenade attack, was shot dead. Four months later
Craig Barker, also nineteen, was murdered. He and three friends were driving when a gunman sprayed their car with eighteen
bullets. Barker was hit repeatedly in the chest, the driver was hit several times in the legs and Mark Richardson was struck in
the back. The third passenger escaped without injury. Revenge was swift and brutal. Nineteen-year-old Michael Singleton was
gunned down after several men burst through the back door of his home and shot him in the head and chest. He bled to death
on the kitchen floor. A month later father-of-three David Regan was gunned down in broad daylight on the forecourt of the car-
wash he owned. Masked gunmen shot him in the back four times. Twenty-six year-old Anthony Wright was getting out of his
car close to his home when a masked gunman ran towards him and fired four shots into his chest at point blank range. Wright,
a semi-professional footballer with no criminal connections, is believed to have been targeted because his cousin was facing an
attempted murder charge.

When detectives began arresting gang members a massive car bomb was detonated outside a police station where the enquiry
was based. It was the largest explosion on mainland Britain between the fall of the IRA and the 7/7 attacks in London. Despite
hundreds of arrests all three murders and most of the other shooting incidents remain unsolved. In 2006 Shaun Smith was
sentenced to five years imprisonment after being convicted of possessing a firearm and ammunition. James `Pancake` Taylor was
jailed in 2013 after carrying out a terrifying attack on a boxer in a Liverpool restaurant. For now, the guns have fallen silent on
Merseyside.

29





Norman `Scouse` Johnson was born in the Toxteth district of Liverpool in August 1933. Like his father Ralph, Johnson was a keen
boxer and could be found working out at St Patrick’s Boxing Club most days. After moving to London in his teens, Johnson joined
Battersea Boxing Club where he became acquainted with many of London’s up and coming villains. Aged eighteen, Johnson was
conscripted into the army but deserted after assaulting an overzealous corporal who Johnson claimed was being disrespectful.
After heading to the West End, Johnson met a career criminal named Tommy Smithson who introduced him to Jack Spot, the Kray
Twins, Freddie Foreman and other premier league villains. Johnson became immersed in criminality and was eventually convicted
of robbery and imprisoned for seven years. Shortly after his release he was sentenced to a further five year term for a second
robbery. Prison failed to diminish Johnson’s appetite for crime.

When a gang unwittingly stole a unique art collection from a stately home and were unable to sell it, Johnson stepped in to assist.
He approached a man named John Francis, who persuaded the Kray Twins to purchase the items for £30,000. Francis advised
the Twins, who had no interest in art, that he could resell the stolen goods for £50,000, keep £5,000 for himself and give them
£15,000 profit almost overnight. The Krays handed over the cash and Johnson handed over the stolen art after which, Francis
disappeared. In 1970 Johnson was charged with the attempted murder of a police officer. A man had been shot during a dispute
at a snooker club and Johnson had left the scene with the weapon in his car. When officers stopped the vehicle they claimed
Johnson had tried to shoot them before being overpowered.

At his Old Bailey trial Johnson told the jury that the gun was under a carpet on the passenger side of the vehicle and he hadn’t
even reached for it. However, the prosecution claimed that Johnson had been involved in the shooting of the man, had left the
scene in a rage and when officers stopped him he had brandished the gun in order to escape. Unfortunately for the police, when
the man who had been shot told the jury the gun had gone off by accident and there hadn’t been any sort of dispute, Johnson
was found not guilty. Aware that he had narrowly escaped a lengthy prison sentence Johnson returned to his native Liverpool as
he feared the Metropolitan Police would target him.

32





During a family holiday in Florida, Johnson met two American businessmen who asked him if he knew an Englishman named John
Francis. Struggling to maintain his composure Johnson forced a smile and said, “Yes, he is an old friend of mine.” The businessmen
explained that Francis had arrived in New York several years earlier and was now working for Russell Bufalino, a Mafia boss in
North-eastern Pennsylvania. Much to the delight of Johnson, the businessmen added that Francis could be found in a nightclub
called Dangerfield’s in New York any weekend. Still smarting after being ripped off by Francis, Johnson immediately flew to
New York. When he tracked Francis down he demanded an explanation and compensation for his loss. Francis said that he had
taken the Krays money and the stolen art to a dealer in Belgium. After handing over the art for authentication the art dealer had
simply disappeared. “With you and the Krays waiting for me back in England there was no way I was going to return and so I fled
to New York,” Francis said. The following morning Francis paid Johnson $80,000 and their differences were forgotten. Through
Francis, Johnson got to know Bufalino who employed him in various criminal capacities. Three years after arriving in New York
Johnson was put under surveillance by the FBI because of his involvement with the Mafia. Unbeknown to Johnson his associate
John Francis had been corresponding with a man named John Denbigh in Canada. Denbigh was a friend of an international drug
smuggler from Wales named Howard `Mr Nice` Marks.

35











By the early 70`s Liverpool’s Beatle inspired spell in the limelight had passed and the city was in the midst of its long decline. The
population was plummeting and many of its docks were being abandoned. Paul Grimes was raised in a family whose livelihood
had been reliant upon the docks. They were not dockers; they were in fact dock thieves. Dock theft had a long history in Liverpool,
in many ways it was the city’s signature crime. Success in this field was reliant upon villains being able to nurture relationships with
dock workers who could tip them off about lucrative cargo and turn a blind eye when needed. The amount of goods being stolen
resulted in marine insurers charging premium rates for policies. This led to cargo handlers introducing bizarre security measures.
For instance, Timpson’s the shoe company, began splitting up its cargo – left feet on one ship, right on another – so that the
thieves were left with lorry loads of stolen but unsellable single shoes. Eventually the Port Authority of Liverpool invested millions
of pounds into containerisation which allowed cargo to be transported in relatively secure steel containers. Containerisation
brought about the demise of the dock thief. Criminals throughout history have adapted their methods and morals to maintain
their incomes. The end of large scale dock thefts resulted in Liverpool acquiring a new signature crime, drug trafficking.

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