Table of Contents

Introduction; Chapter One...The hell-hole; Chapter Two...Riot; Chapter Three...Escape; Chapter Four...Recapture and telling his story to the judge; Postscript...and new career

About the Author

John McVicar grew up in East London, where he was a chess champion and a scholarship schoolboy, but as a 16 year old turned to crime. From the mid-1950's he served a number of jail sentences, then at the age of 26, escaped from Parkhurst Prison and on recapture received an extra 15 years, making 23 in all. In 1968, he escaped from Durham Prison's Special Wing and for over two years was hunted down as Public Enemy No 1. Yet, during that time, at the height of his infamy, he took an intellectual look at himself and on the basis of that self-examination decided that if he was returned to prison, he would neither escape nor, after release, return to crime. When he was recaptured, he studied full time in prison and after achieving an external degree from London University was released in 1978 to continue a post-graduate thesis at Leicester University. He then went on to establish himself as a reputable journalist and broadcaster.