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MORE CRIMINAL EXPLOITS OF THE 'WIDE AWAKE FIRM'

Jibbers is the true-crime autobiography of two international jewellery thieves - Mark Blaney and Stuart Campbell. After trying their hand at theft in the UK, Mark and Stuart realised that the security measures were far more lax in continental Europe and set off on an adventure across the mainland, stealing tens of thousands of pounds worth of jewellery and spending time behind bars in countries in Western Europe and also in England.

Mark settled down with a Dutch lady in Amsterdam gaining himself a spot on Interpol’s list of undesirables and Stuart’s adventures saw him befriending Bez and Shaun Ryder from the Happy Mondays, both were at the forefront of the ecstasy scene in 1988 living on the hedonistic island of Ibiza associating with D J spin-masters of the Balearic beats Alfredo, Lisa Loud and Nancy Noise, mixing it with models and minor celebrities to such an extent that after a few years Stuart developed a serious drug problem.

Jibbers chronicles their parallel lives and the crimes that they committed across the globe: from up in Lapland near the north pole to the far away Caribbean, together with other Manchester and Salford Grafters they became part of a criminal network called the Wide Awake Firm. It is the tale of two lively lads who would stop at nothing to fulfil their insatiable thirsts for breaking the law – that is until they both succumbed to illness after so long in the fast lane and the challenge of regaining their health replaced that of avoiding detection by the police.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Colin’s career as a writer began when he was asked to contribute a few words to Richard Kurt’s ‘Red Army Years’ while in a Swiss jail in the late 90s. Thrilled with seeing his work in print, Colin took 5 years to write the critically acclaimed ‘Grafters’.

Subsequently the author has written for many football fanzines and contributed to several other books on the subject and has recently penned 'The Undesirables' and 'Hotshot'

Jibbers is the follow-up to 'Grafters', published by Empire in 2010.