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Legacy

Gangsters, Corruption and the London Olympics

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Legacy

By: Michael Gillard
Narrated by: Ben Elliot
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Bloomsbury presents Legacy by Michael Gillard, read by Ben Elliot.

Reveals criminal corruption on a scale that the Kray twins would never have dreamt of' John Pearson, Profession of Violence, The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins

'Gillard's detailed investigation makes for a stunning and shocking read' Barry Keeffe, The Long Good Friday

'Legacy illustrates the sordid links between business, politics and organised crime' Ioan Grillo, El Narco and Gangster Warlords

When billions poured into the neglected east London borough hosting the 2012 Olympics, a turf war broke out between crime families for control of a now valuable strip of land.

Using violence, guile and corruption, one gangster, the Long Fella, emerged as a true untouchable. A team of local detectives made it their business to take him on until Scotland Yard threw them under the bus and the business of putting on 'the greatest show on earth' won the day.

Protecting the Olympic legacy by covering up a scandal of suspicious deaths and corruption seemed more important than protecting Londoners from the predatory Long Fella and his friends in suits. For others at Scotland Yard, the crime lord was simply too big and too dangerous to take on.

Award-winning journalist Michael Gillard took up where they left off to expose the tangled web of chief executives, big banks, politicians and dirty money where innocent lives are destroyed and the guilty flourish. Gillard’s efforts culminated in a landmark court case, which finally put a spotlight on the Long Fella and his friends and exposed London’s real Olympic legacy. Corruption & Misconduct Crime Europe Great Britain Olympics & Paralympics Organized Crime Politics & Government Sports History True Crime Mafia United Kingdom War
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Critic reviews

After reading this extraordinary book, I realised how much has changed in the criminal underworld of London’s East End since I wrote my own book on the Kray twins nearly fifty years ago. Where there are criminals, there is always corruption, but Michael Gillard reveals criminal corruption on a scale that the Kray twins would never have dreamt of when I knew them. Recreational drugs had barely started, the Krays were simple East End gangsters and the police were relatively easy to cope with then. In contrast, the world that Gillard uncovers is a nightmare of corruption, with vast amounts of crooked money and constant threats against him. To write a book like Legacy requires courage as well as literary skill. Michael Gillard has both (John Pearson)
A story of violence and corruption in gangland London that reads like The Sopranos….says a lot about Gillard’s immense strength of character and his fearless commitment to evidence-based journalism… it was Gillard’s robust journalism that managed to prove what the police failed to do in 30 years. (Jonathan Calvert)
Digging deep into the underbelly of London, Legacy illustrates the sordid links between business, politics and organised crime. It's not only Latin America that suffers from gangster capitalism and corruption in the twenty-first century; to understand modern Britain you also have to understand how modern organized crime works (Ioan Grillo)
Gillard's detailed investigation makes for a stunning and shocking read and adds credence to the old adage that truth can be stranger than fiction (Barrie Keeffe)
a superbly well-researched book... Legacy could never be called a sports book in the accepted sense (it reads more like an outstanding crime thriller). (Peter Sharkey)
this is a book that’s both eye-opening and hair-raising. (James Walton)
Gillard’s forensically meticulous book is a labyrinthine account of East End villains and the councillors, bankers, CEOs
and police who became ensnared in their web of corruption...
Gillard is unflinching as he sorts through the serious organised criminals and police tasked to take them down... You will emerge reeling. (Kirsty Brimelow)
Gillard is not one to shy away from a challenge, however risky, and his latest book, Legacy: Gangsters, Corruption and the London Olympics, finds him in fearless mode. (Chris Moss)
All stars
Most relevant
Fascinating story with two main prongs: (i) the life story of gangster David Hunt and (ii) corruption in the police and Newham politics. There’s a few somewhat loosely connected tangents (West Ham’s bid for the Olympic stadium) but overall the Olympics don’t feature much.

Intriguing read

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Lots of detail into corruption and the key figures involved, including an unholy alliance between the metropolitan police, untouchable gangland criminals enjoying insane amounts of police protection, and Newham council who appear to be as crooked as a nine bob note, especially during the Olympics and afterwards.

Kudos to the author exposing this mess.
There's a lot of information in this book and it deserves a second read.

Eye opener!

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A must-read for all Londoners. A tale of current London gangsters making millions with the help of the police and local politicians

Absolutely astonishing London story

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Excellent book, well told true life turn of events. The political back drops is barely believable, but equally obvious !

Not your average crime caper.

Very Interesting book; numerous sub-plots

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Excellent presentation of something important and close to my understanding due to the location and the area

Excellent and interesting

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