Behind the Crime

Whatever the crime, there is a human story behind it, and though many crimes are frightening and even horrifying, most of them are a story of human failure. In this book, Colin tells about his journey into crime from the safe environs of the Bank of England into the chaos of disordered lives. The book is full of people with whom he worked from the late 1960s to his move-on promotion to Reading in 1979. It was South London reeling from the power of the Krays and Richardson gangs and the coming of young children to join parents who had come to England from the Caribbean ten years before. For over two years it was the desperation of Holloway prison. They are only pen pictures and are not meant to go into great depth neither do they excuse the crimes that brought them to court. They are simply a look-behind the crime to meet the people. The events may be historical, but they are still being relived today.

The author was born in Perth but moved to Richmond, Surrey, in 1948 and attended Tiffin School, Kingston. He served in the RAF, followed by 9 years in the Bank of England, then retraining as a Probation Officer. He worked as such in Brixton and Battersea as well as two years in Holloway Prison. Came on promotion to Reading in 1979. He retired early, in 1996 and then spent ten years as a Family Mediator. Since then he has written two novels and several books of worship material, mainly new hymns. Also took a master’s degree in Criminal Justice at University of Reading in 1987.
He is married to his wife, Janet, for nearly sixty years and has four children. He is still active in local life and church – a lay preacher for sixty years.