An Astonishing Life ...

[sunny-dave]

You could hardly describe this bloke as boring ...

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/09/mark-chopper-read-obituary

[bazwillrun]

yeah, great role model........

[sunny-dave]

Well he was Australian, Baz ...

[gness]

And with a better start in life...what could have been....:-(

[jackthehat]

Chopper - The Truth, the half-truth and nothing like the truth.......

[sunny-dave]

I'm not endorsing his lifestyle or the choices he made - I suspect that he was (for most of his life) a thoroughly vile specimen.

But the elements of redemption through his writing (even if he failed at times) make interesting reading.

[anotheoldgit]

Criminals or even ex-criminals should never benefit from their crimes.

[gness]

I could be wrong but didn't he donate his profits?

[gness]

Three given reasons for that, Trig...we take our pick...

[anotheoldgit]

triggerhippy
why was he called chopper?

/// Believe me, it works.” According to some accounts, the name “Chopper” stemmed from this episode, though others attributed it to his habit of cutting off his victims’ toes using boltcutters. Others said it was an earlier, childhood nickname. ///

[anotheoldgit]

gness

/// I could be wrong but didn't he donate his profits? ///

Only from his film 'Chopper' it would seem.

[sunny-dave]

Sorry AoG - missed your post.

An interesting conundrum - is it better that a criminal should 'go straight' and forge a new career by writing about his exploits, or should we insist that he is left on the scrapheap of society (being effectively unemployable) and either survive on benefits or return to crime.

I'm not sure I know the answer - I can imagine how some victims of crime would hugely resent the concept, but equally society as a whole might be better off ... hmmm

puzzled dave