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Private Notes
Paddy Conroy was one of the most influential gang leaders in Newcastle and is at the centre of an on-going battle with rival crime families in the city’s West End. He was dubbed Britain’s most wanted man after escaping from police custody before being caught and convicted of kidnap and torture. The court heard how he pulled out a rival’s tooth with a pair of pliers. He was sentenced to 12 years in a category ‘A’ prison.
We met Paddy at home following his early release after a decade in prison. As part of his bail conditions, he remains on licence. Therefore even a minor offence, or associating with other criminals, could land him back in jail. Within weeks of his release, a rival firm has put a £100,000 contract on his head and his enemies are taunting him in public.
If Paddy is to keep his freedom he needs to learn to hold back. And this won't be an easy task for a man a reputation for settling scores.
Few people in this country strike as much fear and terror into the hearts of others as Johnny “Mad Dog” Adair. The Ulster loyalist paramilitary godfather now lives in exile in Scotland following a murderous feud with his own people.
Over a 20-year reign, his organisation - the notorious Ulster Freedom Fighters “C-Company” - is thought to have committed over 40 murders and attempted hundreds of others. Adair’s main conviction is one of Directing Terrorism, for which he was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
This year, reporter Donal MacIntyre spent several months with Adair filming a powerful full-access documentary with one of the nation’s most feared figures. It’s a journey that takes MacIntyre into the heart of Adair’s new Scottish empire, among his neo-Nazi supporters in Germany, and a high risk foray to Belfast where Adair faces continuing death threats.
The film also reveals Johnny “Mad Dog” Adair’s adoring fans, including self styled lottery lout Mickey Carroll who was recently jailed for an assault on a group of young Christians at a gospel concert. Most controversially, Adair comes face to face with the man who brought him down: Detective Sergeant Johnston “Jonty” Brown.
MacIntyre’s Underworld: Mad Dog offers unique access into the mind of a terrorist leader. It also asks what's next for one of the country’s most dangerous men.
In December 2004, a container of coconuts concealing 500Kg of cocaine was intercepted by customs at Tilbury docks. It was the largest seizure of cocaine ever in the UK. However, as part of a sting operation, customs replaced the drugs with wood blocks and allowed it to be delivered as normal.
Andrew Pritchard, a self confessed smuggler, was among those that met the consignment. Caught red-handed, he was arrested on the scene.
MacIntyre experiences the tensions of the court case through unprecedented access to Pritchard’s girlfriend, Amber. With her partner facing 35 years in prison, she decided to support him through the court case. It's an incredibly difficult relationship as her only regular contact with Andrew is through an illegal mobile phone he has had smuggled into the prison.
Cocaine and Coconuts is a very human story which follows the couple fighting for their lives through a trial full of intrigue, superstition and a whiff of corruption too.
Brian Cockerill describes himself as “The Taxman.” Others prefer to call him an extortionist, street fighter and one of Britain’s most terrifying gangsters. He makes a living by “taxing” drug dealers, collecting a levy to allow them to operate in Teesside. Reporter Donal MacIntyre and his team spent several months observing Cockerill as he appeared to operate as an alternative justice system used by those in the area that have lost confidence in the police.
