An Ex-gangland figure, who moved to Walworth after spending eighteen years behind bars, talks to the News about life before and after he was dubbed one of the most dangerous prisoners in the UK and an inspiration for hit TV series Gangs of London.
Stephen Gillen, 51, was born in London but was then shipped to Belfast at just six months old.
“I lived with aunts and uncles,” he explained. “But it was right in the middle of The Troubles, so I saw a lot of terrible things. It wasn’t uncommon for neighbours to be shooting it out in the flats all night.”
Exposed to violence as a child and suffering the loss of his surrogate mother to cancer, he was sent back to England. “I was the little child on the boat who had nothing. I was searching for a family.
“I experienced foster homes and was in care in the East End – so I was susceptible to grooming.”
“These villains of the day were the only role models I had,” he explained. “They had all the nice stuff, they had the power; they seemed to have their life together.”
He got swept up into organised crime, being jailed for the first time at just fourteen years old for GBH.
“I was a clever but crazy kid, so I progressed quickly. I played the game from the bottom to the top,” he said.
In his early 20s, he was jailed for attempted robbery and firearms offences which saw him serve almost seventeen years in Category A prisons up and down the country. “I was classed as one of the most dangerous criminals in the UK – which sounds silly to say.
“There were obviously more dangerous people than me. But because of the nature of gang warfare and the resistance I showed to being broken in there, I was considered as a threat. So they moved me around a lot.”
Over his life, Stephen said he’s spent around eighteen years behind bars, in over 25 different high-security prisons – at one point he was in the same unit as Charles Bronson.
“Some moves were worse than others. The prisons with a bad name have it for a reason. They’re there to break you.”
He said there wasn’t one moment of ‘epiphany’ but he reached a point where he couldn’t do it anymore. “I got to the stage where I couldn’t cope with how bad I felt about my life and what I’d done. I couldn’t hurt anyone else.”
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In 2003, his final release from prison marked the end of his life as a criminal. “I wanted to get out long before then, but I was involved at such a high level, detaching from that life took time.
“I’d moulded myself into a person, someone I now realise I never really was.”
When he got out he spent years volunteering and went to university, moving around London. “I lived near Burgess Park for a while – and spent a lot of time around the Blue (Bermondsey).”
Having been through the system, and come out the other end, he is now able to advise criminal justice officials.
“We obviously need a justice system, and we have a lot to be grateful for in this country. But it is flawed.”
He said many people in prison are misdiagnosed. “They have mental health problems, or they really shouldn’t be in prison. There are other ways to rehabilitate some people.”
“The fact is, there’s too much money spent on containment, instead of on giving people opportunities to step into their real light.
Stephen now uses his experience to help others turn away from crime. He’s CEO of his own media agency Roar Media Creative and has written two books, including his life story, The Monkey Puzzle Tree – which is being turned into a film next year. In 2019, he was nominated for an International Peace Prize for his humanitarian work.
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He was also one of the inspirations for the hit TV series Gangs of London, which premiered its second series last month. “This was a privilege. It gave me a chance to give back and offer my experience and hope toward making things better for our children and youth.”
Now, with three children, wife Daphne and the life of crime behind him, he said he will not stop giving back. “Part of transformation is that you have to forgive yourself, which includes being accountable for your actions. Not just giving lip service, but really owning it,” he added.
“I’ve been moving forward now for many years.”
“I get lots of messages from people who are in dark places, who see what I’m doing now and it gives them hope. That’s what’s important to me.
Stephen’s books are available to buy on his website www.stephengillen.com
Catch the new series of Gangs of London on Sky Atlantic and Apple TV now.
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