Bernie

Just one question.

Were you paid for this article?

Scout,
I am not sure if Bernie will see this comment so I will reply on his, and all the authors who agree to be published in OLO, behalf.
We don't pay any of our authors for their work. We rely entirely on their goodwill and generosity.
Regards
Susan Prior
Editor

Bernie, fascinating article, well written. Look at your life in purely amoral, economic terms. You made some successful roberries and presumably got away with the proceeds. You did plenty of gaol time where at least you were not required to pay for your upkeep. You evidently used the time to develop writing, and possibly other skills. Although you were deprived of liberty and have a criminal record to overcome in whatever you try to make of the rest of your life, the economic scoresheet is not too bad.

I do feel for those holdup victims however. Many suffer shot nerves for years. Some (not your victims) have more than their nerves shot. It would have been better all around, wouldn't it, had you found a better outlet for your obvious talents at an early age?

I new a Robin Banks many years ago:

At least he is big enough to fess up, there are thousands of politicians and Corporate Executives doing exactly the same thing, but they get huge bundles of money for robbing the public, not prison time

The pace of this article is absolutely compelling, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

However, while I sense that the author has no intention of robbing a bank again, I'm not detecting much penitence. Indeed, there is a schoolboy-caught-smoking feel to the account of the author's capture. Having done time for armed robbery before, he already knew that getting caught was a shameful inevitability, not simple bad luck.

Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer my ex-criminals to be a little bit contrite.

A good story in the flavour of old uncle chop chop.

I know exactly the church where you guys got pinched and i dont know why you would plan it the way you did, you had a river right behind the bank etc etc.

Balls the size of watermelons big fella. They may have gone to good use elsewhere if you were not such a bank junkie.

Keep the stories up mate, and as uncle chop chop says, you never let the truth get in the way of a good story, so jazz em up.