Fitted Up


Book Description

The investigative journalist and author of Acid Attack reveals the true story of one innocent man’s battle to salvage his reputation and his life. As army veteran Bill Johnstone watched his garage business burn to the ground, he was certain the fire had been started deliberately. And when the police failed to investigate, he complained. Johnstone then made a shocking discovery: an extensive criminal record had been applied to his name. He believes this was no accident but a malicious act by a police officer. Those few keyboard strokes were the catalyst for a high-stakes battle that consumed his life. What began as police incompetence, soon escalated into an extraordinary saga of betrayal, conspiracy and cover up. This is the incredible true story of his decade-long fight for justice. In an age where our personal information is stored and shared digitally, it could happen to anyone. Praise for Russell Findlay’s Acid Attack “Cast[s] light on the reality of Glasgow’s vicious gang culture and the dangers for those brave enough to report on it.” —The Guardian “A good gritty read . . . expect your heart to race.” —Gina McKie, DJ and radio legend “Puts his head where most reporters wouldn’t put their feet.” —Mark Daly, BBC Scotland investigations correspondent “I’ve read it twice, it’s an utterly fascinating book.” —Tam Cowan, BBC Radio Scotland “Real journalism is still practiced by brave individuals. I use that word deliberately, because it takes courage to expose the dangerous, violent and depraved. Russell Findlay displays that courage.” —Joan McAlpine, MSP, Daily Record




Fitted Up


Book Description

Fitted Up is the remarkable true story of George Thatcher, who spent four weeks in a death cell awaiting the noose for murder following the Mitcham Co-op robbery in 1962. He was later reprieved, but would still serve eighteen years for a crime he did not commit. This is a story of how corrupt policemen 'fitted him up' for the crime; a story of a life of poverty in the 1930s and '40s as a child and young man – a life of petty crime in London's bleak 1950s underworld reminiscent of all those black and white gangster films of the period. Thatcher was a non-violent 'peter' man, a safe-blower. He once blew the safes of three Surrey cinemas in one night. He was a West End 'Jack the Lad', but not a murderer. So when he was sentenced to death following the botched robbery, which he wasn't even a part of, his life was turned upside down. There is a detailed retelling of the farce of a trial. Thatcher's barrister was the renowned Christmas Humphreys, who, during the whole trial, spent barely 15 minutes talking to him. The policeman in charge of the case subsequently committed suicide – could this have been related to any guilt he might have felt over the imprisonment of an innocent man? George was sent to prison for life serving his sentence alongside men such as the Krays, Frankie Fraser and Ronnie Biggs. A riveting tale of poverty, injustice, incompetence, skullduggery, survival and ultimately freedom.




Fit Up


Book Description

Arrested without warning, charged on unjust terms; Fit Up is the harrowing true story of a couple's ten-year battle to reclaim their lives and integrity after a flawed police inquiry effectively ruined them, both emotionally and financially. From her unique perspective as wife of the accused, Faith Clifford documents the tragic consequences of her husband Jeremy's wrongful arrest and charges for downloading child porn on the internet, and the subsequent ordeal that nearly drove them both to suicide. Embroiled in the ill-managed Operation Ore, the most controversial investigation in recent police history, the couple remain the only people in the UK to have successfully sued the police in this type of case, having been finally awarded damages and significant costs of over ?750,000. Lifting the lid on embellished charges and manipulated evidence, Fit Up recounts in heart-wrenching detail how a normal couple were subjected to the stigma and prejudice of being associated with the vilest of crimes, and how, against all the odds, they persevered not only to clear Jeremy's name, but to get the justice the couple so richly deserved.




Report


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The Jurist


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Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang


Book Description

Offering coverage of over 6,000 slang words and expressions from the Cockney 'abaht' to the American term 'zowie', this is the most authoritative dictionary of slang from the 20th and 21st centuries.







Digging up the Dirt


Book Description

The Will County Poor Farm was a home for the less fortunate, terminally and mentally ill, elderly, and orphaned children. Hundreds resided there over the years and despite the closing in 1955, hundreds of them still remain, somewhere within the 180 acres.