Crime Is My Business (Episode 1)

Villains is a new podcast featuring ex-offenders, felons and associates who have worked in and around the criminal underworld - all with a unique take on how this system functions in society…as they see it.

In Series 1 I speak with Bobby Cummines, ex-fixer, armed robber, and hitman. And O.B.E. Boasting the biggest turn around in the history of convicted felons, Bobby went from running rackets as a kid to running his own organised crime Firm in North London in the 1970's.  After a long stretch in Parkhurst Prison where Bobby stayed alive by his wits and famously negotiated a truce between gangland families The Kray Brothers and The Richardsons, Bobby left the life of crime behind. Earning several degrees and building a successful charity, Unlocked, helping convicts re-enter society, Bobby was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2011 in recognition of his services to reformed offenders.

In Episode 1, Bobby brings us back to his roots, what drew him to a life of crime and how he learned how to build an underground business. Heading his own organised crime "Firm" Bobby built a ferocious reputation as a gangster, starting with his conviction the age of 16 for carrying a sawn off shotgun, the youngest in British history. Bobby is a successful author of two non-fiction novels, "I Am Not A Gangster" and "The Parkhurst Years".