THE BIBLE CHANGES LIVES

"I have proved the judge wrong"

YEAR BORN: 1954
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: ENGLAND
HISTORY: VIOLENT CRIMINAL

MY PAST: I was born in Dudley, a large industrial town in the West Midlands.  From my childhood, Father instilled in me a love of reading.  He also encouraged an appreciation for the marvels of  nature, although he attributed those to evolution.  He taught me that God did not exist.  Even so, my parents sent me to a local Methodist Sunday school.

When I was eight, I saw some local boys set fire to a  boat on the canal.  The police came, but fear stopped me from talking to them.  The boys had threatened me.  I was unjustly accused of the crime and became resentful in response, I vandalized some local schools, churches and factories, leaving a trail of destruction worth thousands of dollars.  By the time I was ten, I had started  breaking into houses and shops to steal.  I became fascinated with fire and committed many acts of arson.  At  school, the teacher described me as uncontrollable.

When I was 12, I discovered a book about the occult and made my own Ouija board.  Because my parents didn't believe in God, they thought that my interest in spiritism was just harmless fun and that it would keep me out of trouble.  But by the time I left school, I had appeared many times before the juvenile court.  I had joined a violent group called skinheads.  I carried a razor and a bike chain as weapons. I found a job but soon lost it because I was sentenced to prison for a brief  time.  After my release, I again began vandalizing property and was arrested and sentenced to two years in  prison.  The judge described me as beyond reform and a menace to society.

After being released from prison, I met up with my former girlfriend,  Anita.  We married, and for a while I didn't steal or cause trouble.  After a few years, though,I returned to a life of crime.  I began breaking into businesses and robbing their safes.  I started taking drugs, drinking heavily and carrying a gun.  I was again arrested and sentenced to prison.

My lifestyle placed Anita under a great deal of stress.  Her doctor gave her a prescription  for tranquilizers but told her that what she really needed was a divorce.  Fortunately for me, she didn't take his advice. 

Next time:  HOW THE BIBLE CHANGED MY  LIFE

Watchtower, 2011