Cummines was sentenced to 18 years when an arms dealer (referred to as "Ernie" in his autobiography) informed and told the authorities almost everything Cummines and his gang had done. An explosive account of life in the criminal underworld by one of Britain's most dangerous men 'I am not a gangster,' I spat. It's a shocking insight into a society where the rules are made by gangland leaders and if anybody dare break them, they have to deal with the consequences. The book comes across as a memoir interview, but it does seem to lack any sort of real passion, but that might just be reflective of times Bobby grew up in.

Queen Elizabeth II awarded Cummines the OBE in June 2011 in recognition of his services to reformed offenders. Bobby was sent to prison for the first time in 1967, aged 16, and over the next decade he established himself as a hardened criminal running protection rackets and robberies against a backdrop of all-out gang warfare, where doorstep slayings and bloody shoot-outs were common.To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Read more about the condition New: A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. He expanded into leading a group of criminal enforcers, extortionists and racketeers known as "The Chaps", employing extreme violence in 1970s North London with his fearsome reputation and a sawn-off double-barrel shotgun named "Kennedy" after JFK.

He described the moment he decided to get into crime, saying two of his friends were walking with him at a park when one accidentally set off a starting pistol. At 16, BOBBY CUMMINES became one of the youngest people in Britain to be convicted of carrying a sawn-off shotgun. I first saw a random clip of Bobby Cummines being interviewed on social media, and was so captivated by his brief story, I just had to get his book.He began writing poetry and got into contact with Labour MP Tony Benn who was willing to help him and contributed a foreword to his published poems, as well as changing rules so that the aim of prisons was stated to be to "rehabilitate and educate" rather than the free-for-all ethos that Cummines had experienced. Despite being described as a gangster in media, Cummines has refused the label, saying he never considered himself one, instead stating he was a "businessman whose business was crime. His passion is talking to young people in schools and colleges, deterring them from what they might perceive as a glamorous lifestyle by highlighting the harsh realities of crime and prison.

Two police officers allegedly mistreated the two during interrogations, which led Cummines to speak up, saying that as the two involved were minors, an adult had to be present during questioning. I Am Not A Gangster is a blisteringly honest account of the inner workings of the most infamous crime syndicates known and life inside Britain's most notorious jails, but above all it's a remarkable tale of redemption with the biggest turnaround in gangland history.

Bobby was sent to prison for the first time in 1967, aged 16, and over the next decade he established himself as a ruthless hardened criminal through a succession of lucrative protection rackets and robberies. His autobiography, I Am Not A Gangster, was published 15 May 2014 by Random House's Ebury Press imprint. Read more about the condition Very Good: A book that has been read and does not look new, but is in excellent condition. Inside, he was introduced to the Open University and on his release he soon got down to business again. Cummines turned his life around in prison after a conversation with Charlie Richardson, who urged him to become educated and earn money without hurting anyone.