His new job was acting as a relief postman and one day he had to deliver an oversize letter to his previous home which sent shivers down his spine but he couldn't risk losing this job, so he took a deep breath and rang his old door bell. He was surprised to see an eastern European lady which by the name he assumed was from Poland and he asked her if she had bought the house. No, she said, her family was renting it but they were looking for somewhere cheaper. He made up the story that a friend of his had once lived in the house, but he too couldn't afford it and had to move. He asked how long she had lived there, and she said only two months as they had to save up the £650 a month payment in advance plus a month’s deposit. Bill was shocked and angry that his home had once been a council home with an affordable rent only to be convinced that he was doing the best for his family and he wanted to get a foot on the property ladder, only to find out that not only the council had lost a valuable home to rent out but he had also lost. The only person who has gained out of all this was the private property baron who had brought the house at a low rate and was now renting it out and raking in the money. I couldn’t help thinking of the old saying where it states, “The rich get richer and the poor get poorer”.
I asked Bill why when he spoke about his former home, he got angry. Bill said that the 3 bedroom council home had been in his family for over 40 years and it was the banking crisis of 2008 that started the countries downturn which affected 1,000’s of families with many smaller companies going bust, yet not one of the wankers had ever suffered or been brought to justice. The crash had been like an earthquake, but it was the aftershocks that done the most damage. The British Government put in millions of taxpayers’ money to save the day and ended up being the main shareholder of some banks. One of these banks was the Northern Rock which the British government stepped in at the 11th hour and saved the bank from going under.
Bill went on to say that what the government should have done was to instruct Northern Rock to take over mortgages like his and to set up a deal that kept a roof over his and his family’s head and saved the council from having to pay more money to keep them in B&B accommodation. I asked Bill why Northern Rock would want to take over a dodgy mortgage for someone who couldn’t pay. He said that they wouldn’t but what the government should have done was to bring in a new law that building societies could not foreclose on a mortgage but instead sell the property and mortgage to Northern Rock at either 80 per cent of the homes current value or if the mortgage had been partly paid off by the current owner and the outstanding balance was less than the 80 percent, then they should transfer the mortgage to Northern Rock at that level. Northern Rock would then deal with the situation by postponing repayments or just taking the interest only payments, until the owner was back on his/her feet. This would have been far better for thousands of families who were forced into a situation caused by a third party, i.e. the banking community.
Bill said that since being behind bars he had done a lot of research and found that in 2007 analysts such as Morgan Stanley think there could be a 25 per cent decline in house values in two years. The International Monetary Fund estimates that British house prices were overvalued by 30 per cent. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) says a million people face losing their homes over the next 18 months. Northern Rock was the first banking casualty; the buy-to-let flat specialist Bradford & Bingley was the second; others will follow as this second mortgage-related financial shock shreds banking balance sheets and undermines confidence in the financial system. The then housing minister Caroline Flint's see-through cabinet briefing papers revealed the problem (although, curiously, she didn't see fit to tell the country the news herself). Indeed, the government was still actively encouraging first-time buyers into a market that it knew was collapsing. Ministers should be precisely doing the reverse: warning young families not to take on mortgages for flats that will assuredly land them in negative equity.
Iain Macwhirter of the New Statesman warned “This is going to be far, far worse than the housing recession of 1990-92. Fuelled by irresponsible bank lending, UK house prices nearly tripled in the decade to 2007 - a more lunatic rise even than in America. British prices have been running at nearly eight times average earnings against a historic average of 3.5. This was never going to be sustainable. in August 2007, the bubble burst and a combination of related events conspired to turn this boom into an epic bust that is likely to consume the British economy and lead to a depression. You may think the credit crisis is over, but the real crisis is just beginning. Myra Butterworth, Personal Finance Correspondent for the Telegraph wrote in January 2009 that “more than 1,000 homes being taken back by lenders every week despite several new schemes announced by the Government to help struggling homeowners to keep their properties.” The article went on to state “The figures are expected to get even worse, with the Council of Mortgage Lenders predicting there will be 75,000 homes repossessed in 2009. House prices saw their biggest annual decline on record during 2008, with the average cost of a UK home falling 15.9 per cent to £153,048, according to Britain's largest building society Nationwide. It is the biggest annual drop since records began in 1952. The stock of repossession cases remaining unsold has also risen sharply from 12,837 at the end of September 2007 to 27,123 a year later – increase of 111 per cent.” First, the banks found that because of the US sub-prime mess they couldn't borrow cheap money on the international markets anymore, so they cut back on lending and increased rates.
Banks such as Northern Rock, which had been offering "suicide loans" of up to 120 per cent loan-to-value, stopped lending altogether. Not surprisingly, people stopped buying. The number of first-time buyers in March 2008 was the lowest ever recorded, fewer than 18,000 in the whole of the UK. Bill said that he had read 1,000’s of articles from a wide range of professional’s yet not one of the came up with a plan to resolve the problem. What happened in 2007-2009 could happen again (post-Covid-19) and the government should put his suggestion into law, so that there was a safety net for any family suffering eviction.
I asked Bill what made him turn from a law-abiding family man to a criminal in such a short time. He said that his relief postal job was on a zero contract and after the holiday period he was told that there wouldn’t be any work until December. The house the council had found his family was on a very rough estate that was a dumping ground for families like his and he needed to get enough money so that he could move his family to a nicer area. He only wanted a few grand to pay the deposit and cover moving cost. He had a lot of time on his hands as he only had to sign on every two weeks and he started up a window cleaning round to try and make some extra cash. It soon took off as he only canvased better areas and he was doing ok until the rainy weather set in. What he didn’t know that one of the houses he was cleaning was owned by the manager of the job centre. He hadn’t declared any of his extra income and the job centre took him to court. He explained to the court that he was just trying to get enough money together so he could move his family to a nicer area, but the judge wasn’t interested, and he sentenced him to 18 months.
I asked Bill if his wife and children were keeping in touch (I knew they were but we never let on that we already knew the answer) and he said that his wife came every few months but he didn’t want the kids to see him whilst he was in prison. He said his wife had forgiven him, but they were worried about the future now that he had been in prison. I felt sorry for Bill (although I was meant to remain neutral) I could understand how he and his family were feeling. All he had really done wrong was to try and buy his council house and make a better life for his family. Whilst in prison new skills can be taught so that when someone leaves, they have a better chance of securing work. As Bill lived in a horticultural part of England, I suggested that he look at the Horticultural or Garden centre workers course. There is a national shortage of horticulturist in the UK and he therefore stood a better chance in getting a job when released. However, Bill didn’t complete the course as he was found to be dyslexic and left priso
n with little chance of getting a job. He had to go back to the rough estate he hated and found it difficult to find work. He was pleased to hear my voice and was willing to join the heist in Bedford. William Bennett will be my third guest on Team B.
Chapter 31. Prisons have become dumping grounds for the mentally ill
James Burley was just one of the many inmates that end up at my office door that really shouldn't be here. Over my 20 years as a prison counsellor I have seen a massive increase in the number of people being sent to prison who are suffering from some form of a mental health problem. Many of these prisoners are a danger to themselves but are no danger whatsoever to the general public and therefore shouldn’t be in prison. With the NHS and local governments being under-funded for the last decade, mental health appears to be bottom of the list. If the mental health problem could be controlled or fixed, then it would be in everyone's interest to release these sick patients back in the community under strict supervision, where instead of costing the tax payer around £43,000.00 every year to keep them locked up in jail, they could be contributing to society.
One sector that falls under the mental health umbrella are ex-soldiers who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One such prisoner that fell under my control was James Burley. James saw action in the Afghan War and during 2007 was sent to fight in the Badlands of southern Helmand. James had always wanted to be a solder and joined the Midland Regiment after leaving college. He was trained to be able to manufacture and dismantle incendiary explosive devices which came in handy several times during his time with the army. During one of our chats James told me that he was doing well until a six-month tour in 2007 where his unit, the 2nd Battalion of the Midland Regiment, fought many pitched battles against a well-armed and ruthless Taliban force. His platoon knew that the enemy would take a particular route -after evening prayer, to where they were waiting to pick off any troops returning to barracks and James had been instructed to build an incendiary explosive device that would take the Taliban out.
However, a young child who had been taken ill was being rushed to the local doctors and her father took a short cut directly along the route that we had set the bomb. Needless to say, that the device exploded killing the child and two adults. About a week later during an ambush James best friend was killed along with the platoon sergeant and several other close colleagues were seriously injured. It was later reported that it had been the largest ambush suffered by British troops during the 11-year war. James told me that the death of child and of his best friend was the start of a downward spiral as he quickly developed a drink problem, became violent and increasingly withdrawn. Despite displaying the classic symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), he received no help or counselling from the Army and instead he was sent back to Helmand in 2009 and again in 2011.
Looking at his case notes it plainly stated that since returning home, LCpl Burley had suffered from hallucinations, violent episodes and constantly hears voices inside his head. He had committed acts of self-harm and had developed a deep hatred of Asians. It was there in black and white that he suffered from PTSD and why the hell he had been sent to prison rather than a hospital beats me. I requested to speak with James parents to see if they could throw more light on what had brought about the change in their son and they were delighted to hear that someone was taking an interest in him and planned to spend a few hours with me after visiting their son next week.
James father John who lived in Matlock, Derbyshire, strongly believes his son's mental health was destroyed by the failure of the British Army to even acknowledge that he was ill. John said that the British army sends 18-year soldiers into battle to kill and watch their mates being killed and expect them just to carry on without any help when they return home. We thought that the army would care for our son's health and well-being, but we were wrong. There was ample opportunity for them to help but they didn't. We tried several times to speak to James, but he refused to admit he had a problem or talk about the events in Afghanistan. When he was home on leave, he would get into fights and was arrested once but the charges were dropped and the problems was passed back to the army but all he was told to do was pay some compensation." His dad said that after speaking on the phone to James in January 2012 he called and spoke to his commanding officer and told him that I strongly believed that my son was a danger to both himself and colleagues. He was flown back to Britain under military escort but when he arrived at his barracks, he was accused by a senior officer of being a coward who had let down his friends. The same day he was given a medical assessment by the base GP who said that he was "fine", and he could leave the camp. Back home on leave he kept having nightmares where he dreamt that he had killed his parents and younger brother.
With continued pushing by us he finally underwent a psychological evaluation where it was accepted that he was suffering from severe PTSD and was prescribed antipsychotic drugs. The army then started the long process of medically discharging James, but we were told that this could take up to a year. Once he was discharged, he came home but even with all the antipsychotic drugs in his system, if he sees an Asian person in the street he will try and vomit on them. The stress on the family was indescribable. It was this problem that James has ended up in prison. He saw a group of young Asian men one night and attacked them, even though he was outnumbered he still broke a few noses before being arrested and charged with GBH. The CPS decided to drop the racist charge as they felt that it was in the best public interest as it would look bad in the press and do little to help either parties. When the case came to court James had already agreed to plead guilty and when the judge issued the sentence he said that he would have preferred if James had pleaded insane as it was clear to him that James needed medical help. He also said that the public also needed protection and as there were no available beds at a home for the mentally ill he would have no other choice but to send James to prison for 24 months with the proviso that if a bed became available in a secure mental hospital that James could serve his time there.
James dad said that he had put in an official complaint stating that the army had been negligent by not diagnosing that James’ suffered from PTSD. The reply I got back was short and it just stated that government data published by the National Audit Office, compiled from Ministry of Defence records, suggested that only one soldier in a thousand suffered from PTSD. I told James parents that I had noticed a sharp rise in the number of ex-soldiers ending up in prison and I pointed out to them that new research produced by the Centre for Medical Health Defence at Kings College in London found that 40 out of 1,000 service personnel were suffering from the condition, with the figure rising to 70 out of a 1,000 for those serving in a combat zone. Mr Burley said that their local solicitor is now acting on behalf of their son and is in the process of taking the army to court for negligence in not diagnosing PTSD earlier. She will argue in court that the number and frequency of operational tours military personnel are expected to complete are taking its toll. Lessons from the past are still not being implemented at ground level, and the MoD must take action to ensure we are not sitting on a mental health time bomb.
I thanked James parents for providing me with the background on how their son arrived at my door and promised them that I would do all I can to try and get James the medical help he deserves. Once James was released, he went back to live with his family and his PTSD was being treated by his local community mental health team and he was making some progress but still relied on his antipsychotic drugs to get through the day. He found it exceedingly difficult to get a job as no employer wanted to take the risk of him attacking any Asian customers.
I told James that I would keep in touch and he would defiantly be coming to the heist in Bedford. James Burley will be my team leader for Team C.
Chapter 32. Children need to know whose boss
Ken Shoemaker was an out of control young adult who thought that by having a tantrum he could get what he wanted. That was until he m
et a judge who had seen far too many spoilt brats and was left with no choice but to show Ken that there were rules, and everyone needs to play by them. We all need rules, without them everything would be bedlam. Just think of driving your car to the shops. You assume that everyone will stick to the rules and drive on the same side of the road as you and at the correct speed limit. If everyone decided that they weren’t going to follow the rules, then no one would ever reach the shops alive.
During my years as a prison counsellor, I have seen far too many out of control young adults. Ken Shoemaker was a fine example as he was certainly an uncontrollable child that had never been disciplined and had obviously grew up not knowing right from wrong or never understanding the meaning of the word no. He was also like many other youngsters who had been allowed to eat and drink what they wanted to, and their body is proof that they went for the sweet options. Right under their parent’s noses they had gone for the sugar loaded food and drink and the sugar had become the drug of choice. Sugar gives you a short term “High” but after any “high” there is always a low. These children are becoming addicts at an incredibly young age. As they get older many add drugs, booze and cigarettes to their list of goodies, as their brain was always seeking the next “high”.
Hundreds that have past my door in recent years and they may as well have a ruddy great warning sign across their forehead which states “Diabetes welcome”. Many of these little porkers will develop diabetes and be on prescription drugs the rest of their lives. Some of them will lose a limb but they won’t be able to join the “I’ve lost a leg – Isn’t that sweet “club as with over 175 new members every week the membership secretary is overloaded. It should also be noted the 25% of those that died from Covid-19 also had diabetes. It’s about time the government did more to make the manufactures of food that contained a lot of sugar pay a sugar tax.
The Bedford Heist Page 15
