Moody: The Life and Crimes of Britain's Most Notorious Hitman

by WensleyClarkson (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2003

  $46.37

  Moody is the biography of a criminal whose career spanned more than four decades and included run-ins with Jack Spot, Billy Hill, Mad Frankie Fraser, the Krays, the Richardsons and the IRA. James Alfred Moody was number one enforcer for the Richardsons, did freelance work for the Krays and became one of the most feared criminals to emerge from the London underworld - all before he reached 30 years of age. In 1979, Moody was imprisoned for murder and armed robbery and it was in Brixton Prison that his life took its next dramatic twist. His cellmate was Provisional IRA hero Gerard Tuite and in 1980 the two men escaped and went on the run - Moody was never recaptured. While in hiding, Tuite indoctrinated Moody with stories of brutality and torture inflicted on the Irish by the British across the water and convinced him to join the IRA. Soon, his murderous skills were being put to use as he became the Provos' secret deadly assassin - a man who struck so much fear into Northern Ireland's security services that the Thatcher government put a three-man SAS hit squad on his tail in the mid 1980s. By the late 1980s, Moody realised he was in danger of overstaying his welcome in Ireland and, inevitably, the lure of the East End persuaded the new-found Irish hero Moody to return home to the smoke. He believed his reputation as a hired killer would keep him one step ahead of trouble - and the law. But the London he returned to was a very different place. Huge drug deals - mainly involving ecstasy and cocaine - rather than armed robbery were financing many criminals' lavish lifestyles. The stakes were higher and so were the profits. By the early 1990s, Jimmy Moody's list of enemies read like a who's who of criminals from both sides of the water. Then there were the police, the RUC and the British security services, making it only a matter of time until he was killed. Enhanced by exclusive contributions from Moody's family, Wensley Clarkson documents each chapter of Moody's crime-filled, violence-tinged life.

• Used

  Paperback
  2004

  $9.56

  Moody is the gripping biography of a criminal whose career spanned more than four decades and included encounters with Jack Spot, Billy Hill, Mad Frankie Fraser, the Krays, the Richardsons and the IRA.Jimmy Moody became the number-one enforcer for the Richardsons and tasted his first 'kill' - all before he'd reached 30 years of age. In the 1970s, he joined a team of criminals to form the Chainsaw Gang, who went on to become that decade's most successful armed robbers. In 1980, Moody was in Brixton Prison awaiting trial for his pivotal role with the gang, when his life took its next dramatic twist. One of his fellow inmates was Provisional IRA hero Gerard Tuite and the two men joined forces with a third inmate to pull off a dramatic jailbreak. Moody was never recaptured. While on the run, he became intrigued by Tuite's stories of brutality and torture inflicted on the Irish by the British. Soon, Moody's murderous skills were being put to use in Northern Ireland. His secretive freelance hits on behalf of the Provos struck so much fear into the province's security services that the Thatcher government put a three-man SAS hit squad on his tail. Moody's victims were chillingly referred to as having been awarded an O.B.E. (One Behind the Ear). But while security forces in Northern Ireland searched for Moody, he'd actually set himself up in a flat in South London with a new identity. Moody believed his reputation as a hired killer would keep him one step ahead of trouble ...