who had opened the safe. Jamie had refused to say anything at first but after it was pointed out to him that he’d had over £400 in cash on him when arrested and that they knew the car had been bought the week before, he admitted his part in the burglary but refused to name me. It may seem that I was a bit naive, but I believed Jamie when he told me that he had very stupidly spoken about the job in front of a number of people. He also offered to take the blame andsay that I was not involved when we appeared in court. I told him that he didn’t need to do that and that I would take my chances.
Chapter Eleven
C hristmas 1973 was our first as a family and even though there was a bit of a cloud on the horizon with my upcoming court appearance we managed to have a really wonderful time. I will always remember that Christmas with Christine and our beautiful baby boy James with a special fondness.
I had bought a cracking motor with some of the proceeds of the safe job, a Humber Sceptre with overdrive. I decided to spend a few days back in Glasgow and take in the New Year with Hughie and my sister Olive’s man, James. Baby James was too young to make the journey and so I left with Christine’s blessing.
A couple of days before my return I went to the Bonnie Prince Charlie pub in Parkhead with my pal Bobby McCallum. As we walked through the lounge towards the bar I heard a female voice call out, ‘Hey, Jim, are you no’ going to say hello?’ I stopped and I recognised Ruth Connor, the girl with the magnetic sex appeal I remembered from school. I gave her abig hug and a kiss on the cheek and said how good it was to see her again. Bobby, who also knew Ruth, set the drinks up and we had a great time swapping stories about our times at school. There was an obvious attraction between us but I was very honest with her and told her that I was happily married and had a beautiful wee boy.
Although this was all very innocent it was a mistake on my part and something that I still feel guilty about, because I feel that it was somehow a betrayal of Christine. A couple of years later, on another visit to Glasgow, I did hook up with Ruth and we had a fling that lasted a few weeks and even though Christine and me were on the down side of our relationship I was still married to her and therefore I was guilty of cheating. I vowed I would never again cheat on Christine or any other woman and I never have. Love is useless without loyalty and when I give this type of loyalty I do not ask for it back – I demand it.
A trial date for the safe job was set for the second week of May 1974, and because I was still under 21 the judge was only able to sentence me to a maximum of six months. Fuck me, what a result! I could have kissed my barrister. Jamie also had a great result, being fined £ 500. Now it was back to Oxford jail, almost four years since my last visit – only this time I would be going to A wing.
I got to about seven weeks before my release when my stay came to an abrupt end. Coming back from work in the kitchen one afternoon I got into an argument with two other guys. They were both big lumps in their early thirties and as words were exchanged the two of them suddenly pounced on me and attempted to drag me into a nearby cell. I always carried a small, homemade knife for protection and it saved me that day from what would have been a severe beating atthe very least. As they struggled with me I pulled out my chib and stabbed away, catching them mostly on the upper arms and shoulders. They soon let go and I quickly moved away and got rid of the weapon.
All this happened in a matter of seconds and very few people witnessed it. The wounds were not too serious but wee incidents like this do not stay very quiet for long and in a very short space of time the whole jail was abuzz with the news of the ‘wee Scots guy’ who had nearly killed the two big bullies! It was a load of bollocks, although the two of them did get word to me that
Chapter Eleven
C hristmas 1973 was our first as a family and even though there was a bit of a cloud on the horizon with my upcoming court appearance we managed to have a really wonderful time. I will always remember that Christmas with Christine and our beautiful baby boy James with a special fondness.
I had bought a cracking motor with some of the proceeds of the safe job, a Humber Sceptre with overdrive. I decided to spend a few days back in Glasgow and take in the New Year with Hughie and my sister Olive’s man, James. Baby James was too young to make the journey and so I left with Christine’s blessing.
A couple of days before my return I went to the Bonnie Prince Charlie pub in Parkhead with my pal Bobby McCallum. As we walked through the lounge towards the bar I heard a female voice call out, ‘Hey, Jim, are you no’ going to say hello?’ I stopped and I recognised Ruth Connor, the girl with the magnetic sex appeal I remembered from school. I gave her abig hug and a kiss on the cheek and said how good it was to see her again. Bobby, who also knew Ruth, set the drinks up and we had a great time swapping stories about our times at school. There was an obvious attraction between us but I was very honest with her and told her that I was happily married and had a beautiful wee boy.
Although this was all very innocent it was a mistake on my part and something that I still feel guilty about, because I feel that it was somehow a betrayal of Christine. A couple of years later, on another visit to Glasgow, I did hook up with Ruth and we had a fling that lasted a few weeks and even though Christine and me were on the down side of our relationship I was still married to her and therefore I was guilty of cheating. I vowed I would never again cheat on Christine or any other woman and I never have. Love is useless without loyalty and when I give this type of loyalty I do not ask for it back – I demand it.
A trial date for the safe job was set for the second week of May 1974, and because I was still under 21 the judge was only able to sentence me to a maximum of six months. Fuck me, what a result! I could have kissed my barrister. Jamie also had a great result, being fined £ 500. Now it was back to Oxford jail, almost four years since my last visit – only this time I would be going to A wing.
I got to about seven weeks before my release when my stay came to an abrupt end. Coming back from work in the kitchen one afternoon I got into an argument with two other guys. They were both big lumps in their early thirties and as words were exchanged the two of them suddenly pounced on me and attempted to drag me into a nearby cell. I always carried a small, homemade knife for protection and it saved me that day from what would have been a severe beating atthe very least. As they struggled with me I pulled out my chib and stabbed away, catching them mostly on the upper arms and shoulders. They soon let go and I quickly moved away and got rid of the weapon.
All this happened in a matter of seconds and very few people witnessed it. The wounds were not too serious but wee incidents like this do not stay very quiet for long and in a very short space of time the whole jail was abuzz with the news of the ‘wee Scots guy’ who had nearly killed the two big bullies! It was a load of bollocks, although the two of them did get word to me that
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