Once Upon a Crime by Jimmy Cryans Read Free Book Online Page A

what must have been a very difficult time for her. She wrote to me two or three times a week and her letters were fantastic, full of love, support and encouragement.
    In borstal you did not have a precise liberation date and you had to earn the right to be released. The trick was to do this in such a way that you did not become just a yes-man. In the time I was there I only spent one period of five days in thepunishment block for fighting. On the whole I managed to get on well with everyone and met some interesting characters. A guy called Pete Judge from Romford was a real live wire and a bit of a hard nut. A big character from London was called Dave Fabray and another Londoner who had real presence, what cockneys call ‘a tasty geezer’, was Harry Harris.
    Before I quite knew it I had been given my release date, 8 August 1971. Soon I would be back with the two people who meant more to me than anything in the world, my wonderful wee ma and my beautiful Christine. It couldn’t come quickly enough.

Chapter Nine
    I was now almost 18 years old, had just come through what is a rite of passage for criminals, completed my first true custodial sentence and had emerged in pretty good shape.
    Of course, that may depend on your point of view. It could be asked if I had been rehabilitated and changed my ways? I have to be truthful and say, no, I had not. That is not to say that it did not register with me in any way, because it did, but only to remind me that this was the price that sometimes has to be paid if you choose to live your life outside the law. For me the rewards outweighed the risks. I was not at the stage yet when I would give any thought yet to the wider implications of my criminality in terms of victim empathy, moral implications and so forth. It was simply a case of staying one step ahead of the law. Yet I did not jump in straight away and continue where I had left off. For one thing, I was on licence and had to report on a weekly basis to my parole officer. It was also a condition of my release back into the community that I had to be gainfully employed.
    It was great to be back home with Ma, my brothers and my wee sister, and they were all so happy to have me back. But I had itchy feet and I knew it was time for me to strike out on my own. Christine felt this just as keenly. The opportunity arrived sooner than we anticipated when two brothers from Liverpool I knew gave me details about where to rent a small caravan for about £8 a week. It would be a bit primitive but at least we would be together in our first home. Ma gave us her blessing, which was important to us. I assured Ma that we would not be strangers and we spent almost every weekend at her house.
    Now Christine and me could sleep together in our own bed every night, but I use the word ‘sleep’ rather loosely. Christine had qualified as a hairdresser and decided to do her clients’ hair in their homes. She was very successful and with my job on a building site we had a good joint income. It was now 1972 and I was offered better pay on a new site almost in the centre of Newbury. This made life a lot easier, as Christine had also taken on a job working part-time in a pub called the Castle Tavern.
    We moved into large, self-contained room with shared bathroom in the town centre. Christine was brilliant and gave the room all the small touches that made it into our own little home. Now we had a place right in the middle of town, plenty of money and no worries. As the summer drew closer we made plans for a two-week holiday north of the border. I was keen to show Christine where I grew up.
    I had continued to stay in touch with my da, Hughie, and he took us to a small one-room flat in the Gorbals, which suited us just fine. I don’t think Christine was too impressed with Glasgow but I took her to watch my beloved Celtic and she really enjoyed the occasion. She was without doubt thegamest and bravest woman I have known, literally fearless. She would not back