#347. Feared Basildon Debt Collector & Essex Boys Murder - Dean Connell

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1:53Dean Connell: People macheted in there. People would be glassed in there. and they wouldn't just be glass, like I said. The people would have been butchered. It's going to take someone probably strong to push you on the back foot, right? The way I look at it, you're going to have to kill me. What is it like being one of the most feared debt collectors in the UK? You've got to meet a lot of interesting people. Sometimes you get the people that don't want to pay you once you get it for them. Is that right? Yeah, yeah. You've had that? You made a living out of debt collection. Now I want what I'm owed off these two p***ers.

2:22They know that.

2:23Dean Connell: They will. Yeah. They will. I was on the doors for 15 years before that, but there was always aggro in that. What was Raquel's like? There was people off their heads on drugs. There was just glassings and slashings. Like I said, it was do or die, that's it, that's the mentality. I can remember one time going down there, and I think Mick jumped on the bar, pulled out a big thingy and said, these are my doors now. Anyone f***s this is what they're going to get, yeah. Oh yeah, Mick didn't play about it. Yeah, yeah. Do you know who killed Tucker, Tate and Rolfe?

3:23story go check out dodgewoodall.com forward slash guest and check out the three minute video we've also left the link below as well let's roll all the way back what was it like being one of the

3:33Dean Connell: most feared debt collectors in the uk wherever the money was that's where we'd go if you can prove to us that you don't have it then you don't know it and we have to say to the people they don't know it because obviously in debt collecting it's always a very shady dark area because they've either been to court technically they don't know because a lot of them is to be honest builders who screw other builders and liquidate the company it's like the game to go to now like one particular one i went to and um where was he was in one of the richest parts of the work was done in london he'd screwed something out about 200 grand i went to his house it's seven million pound house so sunday morning you'd creep up knock on the door well this particular one was a big gated place seven million pound house but because it's sunday morning they must have thought I was the paper boy or something, because I opened the gates for him, we'd stay away.

4:23Welcome. Yeah.

4:24Dean Connell: So we've gone in there, and the wife's answered, and we said he's so-and-so there. So he's come out. He's a multimillionaire. And he's gone, I don't know nothing. The company's liquidated. So I said, yeah, but you know what he's doing. You've done it to loads. He said, yeah, but it's liquidated. I said, we're not interested in that. You know what you're doing. It's a professional knock. You've done it to 10 other companies. the company's still running now just change the name, change the director I can't even change the website as anything, just the name so his wife went she went what is it, she said, yeah but it's not there no more I said no, you're the director of the new company and his son was the director of a new one so anyway basically just say to him, money it will give you a message that's it, we're off so he give it, well looks but they've got a brand new Range Rover on the drive, a Ferrari on the drive.

5:21Dean Connell: So all of a sudden, things might happen to the car or whatever. And the next thing, oh yeah, I think I'll pay that. That's worth buying. Yeah. You know? Yeah. Like I remember one time, we knocked on the geezer's door, and he's answered the door with a boggle on his hand, a piece of string holding his trousers up. So we know we're not going to get no money out of him. You know? And he's like, what, what? And I said, yeah, forget it, mate. We're off, you know? Yeah. But a lot of the time, you'll go there, and you knock at the door, they go, I lost everything, mate. You go, well, what's this house then?

5:52Dean Connell: It's still in like£2 million. I'll rent that. I say, where'd you get the money to rent it? What's the Range Rover on the drive? What's this on the drive? And it's like, oh, but you've still got thousands to rent it. And another funny one, this was a funny one. We went to somewhere, and it was a private estate, a gated estate. Again, great big house. We'd been there twice. It was a couple of Irish brothers owned a building company, professional knockers. So we've gone there the first time, brand new cars on the drive, given the number I've got on in, give it wallet. So then by coincidence, when we've gone back on a Sunday morning, me and my partner had parked just outside the gates by some trees, so it's really dark.

6:33Dean Connell: And as we're getting out, we saw someone walking back. They must have been to the shop to get a paper. So they've seen us and they've thought we'd have to do something. so he's walked walked walked got through the gate then he must have sprinted back to his house because by the time he got round the corner he was gone paid after that yeah okay because he thought we were sitting there plotting him he thought it was just a coincidence he turned up yeah he just turned up at the time because when they're behind gates and camera and that they believe that it's all alright you know but they're the type of people you're dealing with all the time non-stop wrong ones knocking people so basically a developer someone will do that A builder come and do all the work.

7:13Dean Connell: Yeah. It might be 80 grand's worth. He's getting knocked right. It's about 10 at the same time. Everyone is there. The electrician, the plasterer. So he's building, redoing flats or whatever. But that can kill someone off completely. I've seen it. I've seen it destroy him. Yeah. Even 10 grand's worth might kill someone. It might be 40 grand for him. 100 grand for him. Okay. Yeah. They destroy him. Yeah. That's what they do. That's what I say to them. I say 70 grand might be nothing to you. But he's put everything into that. He's got a family. And now he's got a family. And they go, like, a lot of the time people say, don't go to, you shouldn't go to people's houses.

7:48Dean Connell: They've got their wife and kids there. What about their wife and kids? They're sitting there with fuck all, and there's a kid being from nothing. You know what it's like to sit with no money, and their mum's crying and whatever. Do they give a fuck? Why are they flying off to Spain and whatever? And that's what I say to them when they get, like I said, the idea is when you go to their house, you do catch them. why that because you've given you've phoned them a couple of times before you'll say to the fella who's had the money phone him up and say to him come up my mate bring who he wants with him don't care bring him with him because like I said whoever he brings if it's a gang if it's this if he's wrong and you're a proper fella you've got to say well you're wrong mate you know so that's how we do it and then when you do turn up and they're getting the kids for school and a lot of the time it's like what Dave Coulton he said the missus don't know fuck all about it and she go do you owe these money why have you done that they're either in it with them or they're not and they're blind and they go well pay them then I don't want people coming around my house you know and it has to be nicer in fact when the missus is backing you up it is yeah that's right they do the work for you but a lot of them they don't know about it so on a payment for something like that you're going in and going someone's due you 200 G's I'll go and get the money for you but I want half or a third A third, yeah.

9:11Dean Connell: And then if there's more into it, then it'll go up to half. But it was more, they was never going to get it anyway. Otherwise, you know, that's why they're coming to us, you know. So, and like I said, we've got to see that they are genuine, because we ain't going to bully people up, you know. And that's why, like I said, when you go there, and the wife's unaware, and she said, well, why don't you pay them? Why? Well, because he wants to live his lifestyle and he thinks legally... He can't be touched. He can do it, that's right. That's wrong. Yeah, it is. But do you know, every builder I know this is happening to now because it's become the game.

9:50How did you meet your partner in crime

9:56Dean Connell: to go and do these jobs? Because he's a very well-respected man in the underworld. Well, first of all, I was a doorman and obviously going to gyms and then I met someone that worked for him who was doing it and he's passed away now. And then Darren, his name was. Yeah. He passed away a year or so ago. And he introduced me and you start doing bits of work and then we just become really good friends. Yeah. What sort of character was he away from debt collecting? Very quiet. Never heard him shout. Yeah. Anyone who knows him, you never hear him screaming shout. He don't have to. You don't have to, you know.

10:40Dean Connell: He's so well respected that it's a case of you don't tell people what you're going to do, you just do it, you know. And like I said, we was closed for a good 10 years. We were debt collecting for 10 years together. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. We had other things going as well, but that's what he was known for, yeah. But like I said, I was on the doors for 15 years before that in Basadonia. In Bas... Bas Vegas Bas Vegas the Riviera of Essex I call it what was it like working the doors back then what year what year did you start early 90s mid 90s I think the beginnings of 2000 was it I used to go on 52 so Rackhills was opening in Baselden when I was young when I was 18 19 that was the only club in Baselden that and time and after the Leobet stuff that shut down and then they was just making like a mega club over industrial estate which was liquid and we become new york yeah yeah yeah yeah lava or whatever it's called at the beginning and um i went over there when it was being revamped and uh yeah just hit it off with everyone in there and that was it then i was working for mick kelly irish mick irish mick yeah good man good man proper man yeah he took over all the shitholes in Baden and obviously it puts people's noses out of joint, doesn't it, because he put in Russian, South Africans, my good friend, Russian Andrei, Polish Michael, Big Del Fadu was over on the doors.

12:15Dean Connell: My brothers, I've got two older brothers, they were cab drivers, so they'd pick up the local people and like I said, everyone's like it in your area, no one likes people coming in and telling you what to do because it's nature, isn't it, you know? And they'd be moaning, oh them Fucking Russians, they're too fucking violent and whatever. But it's because they'd had a clean sweep and said, it's our way or no way. You know, they're from a different world. Albanian, Albanian Tony, yeah. Proper good doorman. Yeah, proper good doorman. What was Raquel's like? Shitto. It was? There was just glassings and slashings.

12:52Dean Connell: I can remember one time going down there and seeing where they were searching. people was dropping all the standing knives on the floor in the queue that they wanted to take you yeah yeah it was just and because there was a pub nearby which was a bullseye yeah and that had the local people and that was like I used to I used to go and drink over there when I was in my school uniform because I worked down the market so I had to cross it so I could go and get served a snake bite remember the snake bite yeah of course I sell it at my festival yeah mate I saw it at my festival and now you put black current in the top just white and black that's it but back then my old man had boozes they weren't allowed to sell them that's right it became illegal it became illegal you had to buy half a pint of cider half a pint of lager and you had to mix it yourself and when I was on it I used to have double sub and comfort tips in it yeah fucking 15 yeah was it one that just allowed everyone in I think if you'd have took the underage people out you wouldn't have had a club I mean I was drinking in pubs by 15 and you could get in there then I could get in there then yeah but that place was like But it was like a thieves' den.

13:57Yeah, get anything.

13:58Dean Connell: So anyone would go over there who was dealing drugs, stealing, kids that were, like, thrown out of school. It was just that type of place. But there was always aggro in there, always, yeah. It was like people macheted in there, people would be glassed in there. And they wouldn't just be glassed, like I said. The people would be fucking butchered. Yeah. You know, it was like if a stranger come in. Who are you? Who are you? Yeah. You had the cover old girl first thing. Yeah, well, that's when they started, they started putting cameras in the toilets to catch people for drugs and that. Because, like, the main people, I knew them because I had two older brothers.

14:34Dean Connell: I knew one of the main ones at the time who was running the drugs and whatnot was known for being lively. And, yeah, it's just like I say, it's a different era. People just seem to, and you didn't get the sentences that you seem to get now. Although, I don't know. I don't know whether jails become, it seems they're so overrun now. like people wait years to go to court and then before it seemed like people popping in that jail every week sort of thing you know they'd do 18 months they'd come out after nine months they'd do it yeah but um yeah it was it was a lively place but where they all used to drink there they'd be all in there till 11 and then they go uh rachel's after because when i started on the door there was a little pub on the corner called the town gate and they'd had some trouble in there and with two of my pals who were there, Russian Andre and Tony.

15:20Dean Connell: So one day I was at home and I got a call, can you go down there? They've had a group in, it's kicked off. So I went down there and I'd carry a big head bag with stuff in with me, stick it under the table. I started working there then. I'd do there from five o 'clock on a Saturday, finish there and then go over to the clubs when that's shut. But these places were all like people, It was a pound of pint and it was like a live band on Friday. And I'd have to, people smoking crack in the toilets. And I'll never forget, bless her, there was a woman and a daughter who were two prostitutes. And they'd pull like a shopping trolley thing on two wheels with all their clothes and that in.

16:03Dean Connell: It's heartbreaking, really, you know what I mean? It's just like people at the bottom of the food chain, you know. And when the manager says, oh, they're doing crack, what's going on? I say, boys, just don't do it in the toilet. If you want to do it outside, do it. Just don't put me in that position. Because like I said, I'm from that area. That's where I've lived all my life. So I know both sides of it. They're not bad people. But obviously, people want to do drugs. They want to do this. The only thing I was really interested in is if you're hurting people. Some people go around catching people for drugs all the time.

16:38Dean Connell: You're bothering for. You ain't going to stop it. Drink's worse than that. And so the only thing I was ever worried about, people bringing in weapons and people hurting people for nothing. Yeah. You know? But over the festival, when that opened, any local name was told by the old building that they're not allowed in. Okay. Yeah. So obviously, when it first started, most of them would just stay away. They weren't worth their aggro, you know? It held nearly 4 ,000 people over there. So it held nearly 4 ,000, and you could all interlink. You went into one of four clubs. 4 ,000? Yeah. That's massive.

17:12Dean Connell: Yeah, I know. We started with 40 doormen, and then by the time it shut, we was down to about 17 doormen. But we'd still get 2 ,500, 3 ,000 in. Yeah, yeah. It's one of the biggest in the UK. Yeah, yeah, yeah. About a shadow of a doubt. Yeah, yeah. And because they old R &B club. What year were we talking here, roughly? I was there from, what's it, I'd say it's been 20 years. I was probably there from about, something like 2003, 2006, something like that. Yeah. What did you have in your head bag? Something long and pointy. Hmm. Because they played for keeps round there. Okay. You know? It was, like I said, doormen got macheted up and whatnot.

17:53Dean Connell: And when there's only a few doormen there, you know, like someone in that same thing, something happened and someone come in and shot them with a shotgun. And it was just because people were off their heads on drugs, I would always keep a bag with something. where I give this to the Russians and the Albanians and that. They're very hands. Yeah. They'll use if they have to. But like I said, Russian Andre, he's a bare-knuckle fighter, so he would bang people out. And Tony, Albanian Tony, I've never seen a man so powerful and strong in my life. He was in Albanian special police. Okay. That like SWAT.

18:31Dean Connell: Yeah. And he was a Greco-Roman wrestler. I don't know how he's done it to this day, but he had a really lovely man I love him but he had such a short fuse and I've seen him do it to like 25 stone people he could grab you by the waist flip you up and your feet would hit the ceiling before he slammed you yeah never seen anything like it to this day yeah and he could do that dropping out so powerful yeah when you looked around back in the day and you look in your right look in your left and you got Andre you got Albanian Tony and plus other were you like no one's coming through this door yeah Yeah, like I said, it was do or die.

19:05Dean Connell: That's it. That's the mentality. We controlled it. Because obviously when you first go there, they've been working two years. They're looking at you. You're a local boy. You're going to be worried about the names and whatnot. But it's like I said, if you're not a bully, I'm only going to do a job. If you make it personal, then we go to a different level. But I'm here doing a job. If you're in the wrong and I say you can't come in, you're banned, you're barred, whatever, it shouldn't be a problem. if you want to be a prick about it and say like I did used to get, I'll see you over the gym. Because I trained over there as well.

19:36Dean Connell: There was a fitness first there on the same site. So you'd always get that. I'll see you over there. I'll go, yeah, I'll train you at five. I'll be there. Thomas? Yeah. But it won't be the same as here with the cameras and whatnot. If you want to make it personal, if you've kicked the shit out of someone for something and gone over the top, you expect to have a comeback. Yeah. But all the time I've done it, like I said, I've never had a problem. I was followed home a few times, but that was normally through the London gangs. Yeah. You know? But actual locals who knew me because they'd train. And then when I'd see them in the same gym, they wouldn't say nothing because they was drunk.

20:11Dean Connell: They was high. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then they'd see you. And again, no, I weren't stupid. I'd wrap something up in a coat with me, put it next to me, just in case. Just in case. Because I'd be on my own. I'd train on my own. I'd done everything on my own, you know? Yeah. You weren't going to stop me doing what I wanted. It ain't hard to find where someone lives in Basland, you know? So everyone knows everyone. Yeah, that's right. In the UK? Yeah. One, two phone calls Max, you find it. Yeah, yeah. And especially when I was doing decklating, we had a PI working for us. We could track anyone. So that was another thing.

20:38Dean Connell: We'd do credit checks and all that to find you. Yeah, and like I said, Mick was a good man to work for because people knew a lot of door teams. He was well respected, wasn't he? Yeah. Is that because he had presence? He was a leader. He was hard as nails with it. He was fair. He was fair, but he would back his team. If you had a problem, you had a problem with him. Yeah. And he wouldn't let people take the piss. some locals they threw out, smashed all the windows. So the managers phoned Mick, and Mick's come down there and said, he tells us on his podcast, he says, like, what's going on? And he says, oh, they put the windows through.

21:11And he said, well, where are they?

21:13Dean Connell: And someone said, oh, they're drinking up the other part. I said, right, let's go up there then. So him, Andre, I think it was Polish Michael, they've gone up there, spotted them. Andre and that fucking pummeled them, but a few of the other locals, because they all stick together, got there. and I think Mick jumped on the bar hauled out a big thingy and said big blade and said these are my doors now anyone fucks this is what they're going to get yeah oh yeah Mick didn't play about it yeah he was a boxer and I didn't know until now when he first came over he was working with Lenny McLean and that at London yeah I still talk to Mick now do you yeah yeah well is he back in Ireland yeah he comes back as a force I like to get Mick on yeah he's still got a security company Has he?

21:56Yeah, yeah.

21:57Dean Connell: Comes across a real nice humble human being. Well, he's, see, as a doorman, if you're what I call a proper doorman, like he says, you walk a fine line because you know the villains, but it's your job at the end of the day to say no if no has to be said to them. Because like I said, if you let them in. It's hard to get out. And then, like when they'd say to you, people would come up to you. I've got your back, mate. I go, I don't need your back. You don't need my back. I'll deal with it in here. Because next thing, then they're saying, mate, I just want to chin this geezer. Can you look the other way?

22:36Dean Connell: And it's a slow process of then overrunning, which is the problem they had in Basden before he took over. Because local doormen could get intimidated by local. Because a lot of doormen ain't villains. They don't want to go to jail. They don't want to do what's got to be done. But when I went into it, my process has always been, I'll do whatever you do you know it's got to be like that if you're willing to go to jail I've got to be willing to go to jail or if I'm playing by a set of rules that you ain't playing by I've lost already haven't I you know if you say to me like what I said about the gym I'll come and enjoy I'll come and enjoy not a problem you know yeah so but a lot of them are just working people and doing it for a bit of extra money and they'll say like oh if he gets heavy like oh I don't like I'll give you an example one of the doorman he was an older fella and he was a bully he was a bully how did that make you feel you know when you see a bully doorman everyone gets that you want to see him get his fucking head punched yeah that's what I mean even though you're working with him you're like I hope he gets done see again it puts you in a hard thing because you want to back him up because he's part of your team and if you let him get pissed on they're pissing on you but at the same time if you see him take the piss out of someone and he gets smacked in the face, you think, well, fuck you, you deserved it.

23:56Dean Connell: And this particular time, there was only a couple of us working and he was just a bully for no reason. Like, he'd come up, he'd stare at them all mad, chewing gum because he was speedy at his head. And he'd already been put in a coma in that years before. And he'd go, you smell a weed. You ain't coming in. Well, fucking half the planet smells a weed. You know what I mean? What the fuck are you going to do? Yeah. You're not a sniffer dog. Just, you know. And I'd say to him, and so one day there was two guys, I don't know what actually happened, but he threw them out, and as he threw them out, they were two girls.

24:31Dean Connell: And he didn't just throw them out again, he tried to make them lose their respect, he was calling them girls and going darling and all this shit, belittling them. No one wanted that done to me. And I thought, you're triggering people. And these two fellas were pretty game, I knew who they was. And so next thing, got a phone call. one night they'd followed him home in the van and kept trying to ram him off the road. Right? So they're ramming him, trying to ram him. He had it a few times, I think, because he was such a fucking idiot. So he's spitting and screaming, I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that.

25:06Dean Connell: So I said, all right, I'll do it with you. So if I find out where they lived, I said, we're going, do what's got to be done. So, all right, he went, man, we'll wait till it gets dark, because it's summer. I said it gets dark every night he said no no in the winter I said what the fuck are you talking about in the winter I said it's what he wanted me to do it and step back and obviously I get triggered quite easy because I look at a team they become my family and like I said although I might not like you or like what you stand for a lot of people will try and separate you know what they do divide and conquer so I ain't got a problem with you mate you see him, I'm going to smash him up.

25:50Dean Connell: And you go, no, you ain't going to. He's only throwing you out. Fuck you. You smash him, you smash all of us. So it was like, but then they'd start trying to use you to do it for them. And in the end, he fucking left. I mean, he was well in his 50s. He was there too long anyway. But in the end, he left. That had put the shitters up him. And he went. But I thought, you deserve it. There's no one had a good word to say about him. You know, you bullied them. They would try to run you off the road. what did you expect to keep that? You ain't going to get away with it forever. You know, for a reaction, there's a reaction in there, you know, and things like that but also on the other end, the managers can be total pricks and they want to treat you like a pack of dogs sit you on someone one minute and then you do something and they want to sell you out.

26:38Dean Connell: Off-squeezing. Yeah. You've got to be careful of them there, mate. Yeah. That was all the time you got that and like I said, it was like the Wild West down there because of the R &B club all the gangs travelled from London and again when we was young you had the girls going with boys that's right dress up smart now you don't fucking 15 geezers in altogether all the gang tattoos teardrops and all that you know you know what we're doing let them in the big spenders let them in the big spenders and then halfway through the night you'd hear your names being called we need to get that group out we know now we've got to fight the whole group haven't we and you're not talking about 10-15 people at one go so that's why it's just explosive all the time could you go, can you flick a switch quickly or are you calm you calm with it until someone I'm very calm and I go very calm before something happens as well I feel very relaxed I'm not the toughest, I'm not the best fighter but I'll be with you.

27:46Dean Connell: Like I said before, you're only as good as the people around you. If you're one man on your own, you're going to get the shit kicked out of you. But if you've got solid people with you, you've got to be solid with them. And like I said, I won't go backwards. It's going to take someone probably strong to push you on the back foot, right? You're going to have to kill me. Yeah. Because at the end of the day, in life, I look at life in perspective, period, we've all got to die anyway at some point. And I've seen close friends at young ages die of cancer and that. a far fucking worse death than fucking getting killed instantly.

28:17Dean Connell: You know what I mean? Not that anyone wants to. I do have a thing to stop it. But say someone's determined to kill you, shoot you, whatever. You can't stop them. You couldn't. And it's the same vice versa. If I'm determined and my friend, if, say, someone at my family, I've got to be in the state of mind is I'm willing to sacrifice everything for that person. Which means if I've got to do something in front of a copper, a judge or whatever and if I go, I go. You know what I mean? And vice versa. And that's what I'd say to people. I never say to people who want it. I'd say, are you prepared to die?

28:51Dean Connell: Because it's not a case of anyone can do something but are you prepared in the process for it to happen to you? And most people don't it, do they? They like dishing but they don't like taking. And that's just how I look at life, period. I don't really... Like I said, I was nearly dead last year. How do you deal with that? mentally alright yeah because I was alive and I was in a coma anyway so I didn't know about it and when I come round and they told me I was like alright I'd lost three and a half stone in a month because I'd been tube fed and I couldn't walk I couldn't even open a yoghurt pot and I just wanted to get out of hospital get back to my dogs and rehabilitate myself because I was just like I was like a newborn foe I was like Bambi

29:44Dean Connell: I was literally How did you get into a coma? I got a dog scratch on my leg and it turned to cellulitis and I kept going to the hospital they put me on intravenous antibiotics for a couple of days send me home with orals then it went to MRSA and then it went to sepsis so over about a three week period they were watching and if I show you pictures I had pus just oozing out my leg. It was getting redder and redder up my leg where the poison's moving up. But because things had happened in my life a few years before and I'd lost my business and I'd fell out with people, I was just like letting it happen, if I'm honest.

30:25Dean Connell: And I was just sitting there smoking, not looking after myself. And I thought, fuck it, if I'm meant to die, I'm meant to die. And then one morning I woke up and I couldn't breathe. I was like, on that podcast I'd done for Ben, the Enquirer, he's a good man, very good man, he's a close friend of mine, we've just opened a production company together, we're going to start doing documentaries, I'd done a podcast with him, the only one I'd done, and if you watch on there, eyes were shut, I was sweating, that's because I had the poison running up my leg, I was already half dead by then, and mum when I woke up and I couldn't breathe, so I got my brother to drive me to the hospital, Again, they left me in A &E for an hour and a half like that, where if you've got sepsis, they say in other hospitals, they've got 45 minutes to get you where you need to be because you can kill you within hours.

31:15Dean Connell: So I don't remember none of this. So then I went in there. I realised it was sepsis. All the teams were coming down, heart. My kidneys were packing up. My heart was packing up. And one of the heart surgeons went to my mate who was there. He went, what is it? he went like that yeah and you clucked it no he told me after yeah he said it to me mate he went yeah and I didn't even really know all this until after because my mate took a picture of me in a coma to remember me like to show me because they was all told I was going to die did all your pals think this is the end of him oh yeah I'll tell you what that's when you see your real friends who turn up it was like a checking in system of people taking turns to come in and sit with me because obviously I weren't aware of it.

32:08My neighbours, my friends,

32:10Dean Connell: those up there, my mate Tony, he was there every day, Les, Eggy. And obviously it was heartbreaking to hear after because my mum and dad, they're both 80 this year having a party for them. They've been married 60 years this year as well. 60? Yeah, they've been together since they were 16. They're from the East End, Maureen and Brian. Massive respect to those two, 60 years. That's unheard of these days, isn't it? No, that's it. It's a different breed, isn't it? Yeah. And my dad's got terminal cancer, but he's under control. My mum's got dementia, so they're a mad couple. But when I heard after, like, my mum was going in, they was going in the church thing and writing letters to God and all that type of stuff, and it breaks your heart, because you're not aware of none of it, you know?

32:59Dean Connell: And, like I said, the people that were there you know were really there for you you know because some people won't have no one they just have one or two people you know and um it humbled me big time ben was phoning all the time and i'd only met ben a year or two before he's become one of my closest pals um mick asked me how i was um i've got a good albanian friend addy um he always he's a good man. I find, do you know what I found over time, Dodge? People moan about foreign people, but my closest pals and the most law, because they've still got old school, they're fucking, I don't know what it is with the English, they sort of seem to have been every man by himself now.

33:50Dean Connell: Where I find them, because they've got traditions and they still go back to the old country and their families all know each other, my Albanian mates my Russian mates good Englishmen like I said like who I've named Mick and that but the Albanian I get on well with them because they respect our values as well our old school values because they still live them like everything's cousins and all that you know and if someone does something they say well we'll go back to the old country where your family are and their family will put them straight sort of thing you know and I love it I love all that because that's how I am.

34:27Dean Connell: I'm not, although I don't mind being alone, I like strong people with me with values, yeah. Morals. Mm. I agree. Morals, there's an old saying, what I live by, I've got it tattooed on me, lose your money, you lost nothing, lose your health, you lost something, lose your character, you lost everything. Yeah. And that's what I live by. Yeah. And it's so true. And so many people sell you out for a pound note. Money, totally corrupt. Yeah. the root of all evil. That also brings a lot of happiness to people at the same time. Do you know what the true saying is? Money ain't the root of all evil. The long saying is the pursuit of money is the root of all evil.

35:06Dean Connell: Because money itself, it's just a tool to use. You can make people happy, you can make yourself happy, or you can make yourself miserable. But the pursuit of it, and once people get a sniff of it... Have you seen any of your mates change around money? Yeah. 100%. Yeah. it becomes for one I've been around a lot of rich people because like I said I went from a doorman with nothing and then I was mixing when I started doing debts and that you're mixing with a lot of rich people with your friends and you know and a lot of them have got the mentality they get up the ladder and they want to pull it up after them they want to keep you as a work dog you know that's horrible that's horrible I can't stand those people you find that a lot of it no I know I know people who had nothing got a load of dough and they've changed I'm like why have you changed You're just feet on the ground.

35:53We all grew up together.

35:54Dean Connell: What are you doing now? That bugs the shit out of me. The difference with the foreigners as well, if they see someone down, they'll work with them. They don't give them handouts, you don't give them handouts, but they'll work with you to bring you back up. Where I lost everything a few years ago. I had 200 ,000 quid's worth of cars, lost them all, lost everything. I walked away from the business because my brain went right. People had betrayed me. and I'd had enough. Okay. So I just walked away. And I knew I'd be skint. I knew what was going to happen. But I'd done it out of principle that what was going on weren't right.

36:35Dean Connell: But I saw most people, people who say to you all the time, money ain't my God. Money's normally their God. People who say to you, look, it's everything. You find that. Until the pound note comes in, it's not. but the millionaires or the wealthy people when they're earning they don't want to see you earn but the foreigners will say right I'll do business with you now you do this with me now you do that we can all learn and build each other up like Ben how I've met him he's brought me into his production company and that you know to do documentaries he don't owe me nothing but he's a legitimate man you know good man isn't he good art good art yeah like I said Ben put us in me and you together.

37:18Yeah, that's it. And he said to me, Dodger, you're going to love him.

37:20Dean Connell: Yeah. And vice versa. Oh, we phone all the time and text all the time. Like I said, I'm going to meet up with him soon because like I said, my health ain't been great with my operation and that. What was your business? It was a building company. Okay. Yeah. And why did you go, I've had enough? I had partners in it and people that run it for me. It was mine and my partner's business. but I brought in because I started it from scratch I brought in everyone equal so the woman that ran it for me the accountant that ran it for me I brought everyone in equal so everyone had equal shares and how many people were involved four ok so all 25 each nothing on paper because everything was in my name but we built up and then I had surgery on one of my eyes and it went wrong so I was blind in one eye for nearly a year and I had the nerve hanging out of it.

38:18Dean Connell: So I was in constant pain. I couldn't go out because you always work together, obviously. So if one pisses out, the other one does. So I had loads of laser surgery. I had a cornea transplant. So while I was doing that, the woman that ran it for me got me in 500 grams worth of debt. Yeah. And when things went tits up, instead of there was she was using someone else to get in on it who was giving her money what she was doing the invoices through him yeah yeah and taking it but I didn't know what I know now because she's dead now I think she had terminal cancer and she had a son that's a right fuck up who had come out of jail junkie low life prick well I tried to appease her by giving him a job that he didn't turn up to.

39:13Dean Connell: I just paid him, basically, to keep her focused. But I think she knew she was dying, so she started her daughter, him, money, money, money, just fucking it up totally. And by the time I found out, it was salvageable. Yeah. But you know how all of a sudden it starts becoming my company when it was our company. And it hurt me. It really hurt me. Because I thought, you're in it together. And I thought, if I share everything equal, we're all equal. Everyone's happy, yeah. That's it. But you've all got to take responsibility when things go wrong. And I knew this person who had been paying her directly, he knew what he was doing because he was getting a lot of money out of it.

40:04Dean Connell: So I basically said, let's fuck him off. She was fucked off straight away. Didn't know she was dying. And we was all, it was all rolling again. But I knew the accountant, I'd asked the accountant, I said, did you know we was in debt? He said, yeah. I said, why didn't you tell me? He said, I didn't want to lose my job. I said, but you're going to lose your fucking job anyway. We're just going to go under. What are you on about? But you'd gone from£10 an hour prick to earning thousands. so he just thought I'm going to ride the gravy boat until the wheels fall off well in that process he was telling lies about me blah blah blah saying that I was thieving and this and that even though my name was like and I just thought I've treated you all like this my partner I loved like a brother and like a father because he's older than me I idolised him I would have took a bullet for him.

41:12Dean Connell: And then there was doubt there of what I'd been doing. And it broke my heart. That's the truth. It broke my heart. And it sounds silly. It's like a woman cheating on you sort of thing. It hurts you that bad that I just said, fuck it. I'll walk away. You have it. All have it. I'm going. I'm done. And that's what I did. I just walked away overnight. Walked away with nothing. Well, walked away with debts. I had debts. But now, it's three years on, I'm friends with my old partner again. I still talk to him. But the other two fucked him over in the process. Three years on, he realised it weren't me.

42:02Dean Connell: It was them. Now I want what I'm owed off these two pricks. Hey, Yetis. This is Nick and Jack from the Best One Yet podcast. Now, the last company we worked at, they used Paylocity and everything just worked. It wasn't until launching our own media business, this show, that we realized how rare that is. Because Paylocity is one delicious burrito of operational needs. They roll up HR, finance, and IT seamlessly into one delicious bite. When everything wraps together like that all at once, your workforce, your tech stack, your business, you don't need more tools. You don't even need cilantro. You need one solution.

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43:33Dean Connell: Yeah. I know that. they will yeah they will yeah how much do you do you reckon in total thousands thousands one of them now has got a nice big house that they was they bought through me when it was working built on the extension they've got two companies now because obviously they've gone on a neighbor thieving off my partner in the unit yeah one of them he's got cars, he's got everything now, he's got two countries running. Good for him. But you're going to feel me now. And the other one, the snakey fuck, he's a con man anyway, he's a lowlife. And he's got a big house, he's got money, he's been doing stuff.

44:20Dean Connell: He was one of the biggest causes of what happened to me. Because he was giving money over but taking a lot of money back in interest. and weren't telling us, me and my partner, that he was lending it. She was phoning him, saying, here's some money, and he was just turning up giving it to her and not fucking telling us. And it was obvious what he was doing, because at one time he was taking thousands a week in interest. And when I found out all this, it was like, what the fuck is going on? What the fuck? So not only did they cause me to lose everything, they caused me to fall out with my partner that like I said was more like a brother and leave with debt and leave with debt yeah yeah but like I said listen money comes money goes it's more principle yeah it's more principle because like I said why are they thinking I'm sitting here thinking there's other people that could don't say why are they thinking doing it to you to your wife a lot of people and this is human they just take kindness for weakness and I'm a kind gymnast person I'll be honest money don't mean shit to me.

45:30Dean Connell: I gave away fortunes because I can't eat out of a trough without everyone else eating with me. Some people get off on seeing, look at me, you're a fuck all, that makes me feel big. If I'm with you, I want you to have what I've got because then I can enjoy it with you. I can sit and have a laugh and we go, oh, look at this, this is nice. But a lot of them, it's what they'll do, they'll get you to do things for them and manipulate you by pretending they're going to do that for you. So they're dangle with a carrot, so you go, well, if I keep at it then, I'll get that. They've never got no intentions about me, no.

46:05Dean Connell: You know? They've never got no intentions. Do you know when someone's envious? Yeah, 100%. Because no one talks about this. No. No one talks about this, and I always talk about it again. There's people in your circle. You might be nice, everyone's nice. The difference between a friend and an acquaintance is a big thing. You know? A friend, for me, is no like and trust. an acquaintance is know and like it's funny you say that right there's a thing I write a friend is only a friend when he proves he's your friend when it's either going to cost him money it's uncomfortable to be your friend you might have 10 people 20 people around you go they're my mates they're my mates when has it been uncomfortable for them to be your mate when has it been scary for them because remember fear is stronger than love you find that in life so if you fall out with someone who's powerful all them people around you who am I going to go with him because he's right or him because I want to be in his good books and that's what you'll see and I accept that it's human nature because they've got to look after themselves but don't kid yourself and this is what I try and tell youngsters today when they're with their mates and say they're drug dealing I try and say to them listen, take it obviously age is a thing.

47:27Dean Connell: If you go to jail, you'll be lucky if any one of them visits you, any one of them sends you money. The only person you might have is a woman that sticks with you and your mum and dad normally. Yeah. The rest of them will totally fuck you off because you're only as good, it's like a boxer, you're only as good as your last fight. That's right. And you can be turkey today and dressing tomorrow. Yeah. You know, so one day you're the fucking best thing since like, you do one thing you slip once and you'll see you might have one or two people say well yeah he slips let's help him get back up do this and go fuck this who's next who's next another good sign as well Dean when you've got good news who out of your friends you want to tell the good news to because you'll go I don't want to tell him because I don't think he's going to be happy for me that's another good sign of good proper friends I watch a lot of Jordan Peterson and he says a friend that shares bad news there's a lot of them want to hear bad news Of course they do.

48:22Dean Connell: Because they relish in it. Yeah, of course. Misery loves company. Yeah. But if you can tell them, oh, look, I've got a promotion at work, and they go, and they're happy for you. Oh, that's fucking brilliant, mate. Oh, yeah, what, earning more money? What, you're going to the ball? But a lot of the time, they're cunts. Why is that? I love seeing everyone do well. I love seeing people around me in business do well, or how can I promote them on LinkedIn or whatever, or I'll give them contact. I don't want nothing from it. It's got threads together. Do you know what I think it is again? I think it's just British society has got to the point where we're so separated that it's become, like I said, you look at a neighbourhood, you might talk to one or two along, the rest of them you won't say hello to, the rest of them along there you won't say.

49:00Dean Connell: Years ago it wasn't like that. Years ago you all need to mingle. But now, because they might have a range over, they've got a fucking BMW, but they've got an old crate, so the person with a BMW feels, I'm fucking this shit. Because like I said, I'm in the next council there, so you've got people that are in rented from the council. You're all equal. We're all the same. It doesn't matter if you're a CEO, a celebrity, a dinner lady, we're all the same. All the same. I don't understand. Like I said, if someone's kid's dying, they'll give up everything for that because you're all human. And it's why I don't understand people, for an instance, who are royalists.

49:34Dean Connell: I try and say to them, do you understand? They wipe their arse like I do. They've just been born into a position. They ain't got superpowers. They don't do nothing. They ain't got a skill. I respect someone who's got a skill. Brilliant. But otherwise, I don't worship anyone. you know like film stars and that you look at them you think they're playing a part what the fuck are you oh you know like I said I've met one person who I always wanted to meet Nigel Benn met him because I loved him and I met Ricky Atten I looked after him before he passed away years ago maybe like a meat type but other than that I don't give a fuck whether I meet any celebrities or anything it's nothing people say to me do you get nervous before meeting these celebrities they come on your podcast I was like no I've interviewed Piers Morgan and Rod Stewart and Harry it doesn't matter it doesn't matter who it is you're normal just because he's been set on the TV he goes home he sits and watches telly he has a shit in front of the telly yeah if you've got a good set up tell me have you ever been in a situation where you've nearly lost your life you probably have loads of times I don't realise but there's been a few scary things.

50:50Dean Connell: I mean, on the doors, you get people all the time. People, like one funny one was a youngster. He'd come up one day off his tits, screaming, shouting he was going to come in. He weren't coming in. So he went away, put a bulletproof vest on, come back with an IP on his back, and one of the time, I'm going to sweat his leg and snap the geezer's leg in half. He's learning to scream. And things like that. You could die. Like I said, my old pal fell out with someone, and he'd only thrown them out, but they were local. But I used to give him a lift. He's passed away, and he died at 34. He's a good friend of mine.

51:28Dean Connell: What's his name? Dan. Dan King. Yeah, I worked on his first door with him, and then I got him over to the clubs, and he was like a little brother to me, you know? But he was a big, powerful fellow, and he threw someone out. it got personal but I used to pick him up and drop him off to home because he couldn't drive and so one day we come back to the clubs and the site security said I was over there watching you they've got bulletproof fester I'm watching you I said well they've got bulletproof fester and they're saying they're going to shoot us they're going to shoot they're not fucking idiots well they're going to shoot these are the mentality it's for show yeah yeah yeah I'll put on a bulletproof show I'm ready to go to war well we're only going to work if you're going to do it do it you know yeah this is the sort of dickhead you're around you know and you just I laugh at it I find it funny because it's like what I always say if they're going to do it I can't stop you you know but I also say like what happened in Rettendon if you bully people enough muscle all this bullshit it's what's in the end what's up here right as you know you've had the SAS on SBS on it's what's in now and like I said it's not the size of the dog in the fight it's the size of the fight in the dog and if you're going to If you really want to kill me, you're going to kill me.

52:47Dean Connell: So there's no point in sitting there shitting your pants about it, you know. If obviously you know for definite, then you try and do so. But like I said, if you really are going to come, someone nearly blew Trump's head off and he's got the best security around the world, you know. So what can you really do? And I also say that on the other side, if you're willing to sacrifice yourself, you can get anyone. Don't matter what they do. And it was the same, like I said, I saw firsthand at the time because I was a youngster. Tucker and Tate and that, powerful men, big men. But if you push people too far and they're not afraid, they'll either run off or they'll fight like a dog.

53:26Yeah.

53:26Dean Connell: And what happens should happen. Do you know who killed Tucker, Tate and Rolf? I don't know what they know. What I believe was Steel and Holmes, I believe. Going by Bernie, I mean, Bernie read the court transcripts and whatnot. I believe normally the obvious answer is the answer because when people say about the police doing it I'm like there's much worse people out there than them in life so why aren't people being hit all the time it ain't like Brazil where they've got hit squads going out taking out criminals why wouldn't they be taking out people left right and centre I mean it looks coincidental because Leah Betts the dad was an ex-copper so Leah Betts died of taking an E and her old man was a copper Yeah, it was a copper.

54:16At Raquel's club where she took it? Yeah, she got it from there, didn't she?

54:20Dean Connell: She took it at home at a party. It was her 18th birthday party. Right, okay. And she went home and took it. Whether it was too strong, she had a reaction, but she drank, I believe, so much water that it made her brain swell. Yeah. And that's what killed her. And I've got young nieces and I say to them, you try and tell them, you don't know. Believe it or not, Dodge, I've never had a line of coke. Yeah. I've never took ecstasy. I've never took nothing the only thing I've ever took is steroids because for one I don't like things that ought me I don't drink I don't like things that mix with my brain and two I don't want some dirty shit that people are making and what not although it's been to be great and I've seen so many people's lives ruin through coke you know I've seen it destroy people you know same horrible drug yeah horrible drug the most expensive drug you give half it away people chat shit on it and then the next day they're para And they wonder why their nose, they put cement in it and everything.

55:15Dean Connell: They wonder why they're crying. And you think, but do you know the ironic thing? I used to talk to people at the gym and they'd say about steroids. Steroids are relatively cheap. And they're health products, right? If you use correctly, they'd go, you'd say, do you want this brand that's like a good pharmaceutical? No, give me the cheap one. But then they go and do 200 quid a week, don't they? With Coke. And I think, where the fuck do you think that got made? in a lab somewhere somewhere with boots made it. And this is the irony of people. They don't, it's the way they think, you know, or they go, I don't like taking tablets, I want to take paracetamol on that, but they do lines of coke or smoking weed and it's beyond me.

55:54Dean Connell: I think this is how waltzed the mentality has become. What was, what was Tate and Tucker like in the mid-90s from what you saw? Um, I met Tucker a few times up the gym. He's quiet, all right. And again, I've got to say it like this. Obviously, he run doors. I don't know Tate, never met him, never met Craigwell. When you're running doors, you're always going to be looked at as a bully because, for one, you're saying to people, no, and you tell a kid no and he screams and shouts. So tell them they don't know and they're used to giving you orders. They don't like it. And people only ever see the aftermath of what's going on.

56:34Dean Connell: so if they see you pummeling someone they'll oh fuck leave him alone he just smashed the bird's teeth out over there oh did he? or vice versa when something's going off between a minute you're going to help them so Tucker like I said I can only go by what was out there he was in a time when the 90s were crazy weren't they you know and it was very violent and it's like anything violent if you're robbing drug dealers and that you're only on a one way street aren't you you know you're hit for a good time not a long time you know did you ever do any debts regarding drugs no stayed away from them you all stayed away yeah won't do them no no that's why we had a good name as well for one they're dirty yeah and two it's like what I say to people like I know people that had like a couple of lumps robbed off them by about 10 youths.

57:36Dean Connell: And I go, where the fuck do you think that's gone by now, all the money? I said, split that up by 10. A lot, is it, yeah. They've all gone everywhere with it. I said, who'd you got? What are you doing? I said, you're fucked. I said, you made a mistake. That's done. I said, you ain't getting that back. And apart from that, you're mixing. Drug dealers should do with drug dealers and they should employ their own people. but if you're a proper, legitimate debt collector, you don't want to go any drug debts. And for another thing, you get roped into a conspiracy of drugs then because I believe the only time I've had police watching me...

58:17Dean Connell: And I believe they was in a plainclothes car at some of the house because there's no real little park. I live next to an old people's home and it's on a bend. And I was doing a debt for a fella who had come out from a long stretch from drugs. And he said someone owed him money, not from drugs, from something else. But he kept wanting to meet up and he said, I'm out of it now, as they all do, you know. He said, I'm out of it now. but I said I don't want to sit and have cups of tea with him and all that well a little while after that I had a car parked and there was a geezer in it and every time I pulled up he'd fuck off and this went on for a few weeks and later on I found out because he phoned me one day he went oh I'm up Manchester saying I'm seeing if there's any work I thought why do you do that on the phone not work has it I thought bollocks you're still at it yeah and next thing he'd been nicked in Spain with his wife with a load of lumps and he was doing Big Bird yeah so he was still in it yeah okay I'll tell you what was a close call for me thinking about it where I could have got this was this was I must have someone looking at me because touch wood I've never gone to jail yeah there was a car dealer I can't remember where it was but it was about 100 miles from where I live and he was a multimillionaire had a big car showroom and he lived in America but he'd come over someone said he owed a lot of money can't remember what it was I spoke to him said he don't know it blah blah blah can't remember what happened but it went dead and then a few weeks later by accident I rang his number so he's going hello mate you alright so I've gone yeah so he's gone I'll tell you what he said why don't you pop down we'll have a bit of lunch and we'll have a chat he said I've got some things we can talk about and what not I'd never met him.

1:00:15Dean Connell: So I phoned up my partner and I said to him, I'm going to go down there. He said, no. I said, listen, it'll be all right. I said, I'm just going to go down there. He went, all right, you ain't going on your own. He went, I'm going to send another person down there to meet you down there. So I said, all right. So at the time, it was 100 miles journey. So it's winter, it's pissing down the rain and that. So I'm going there and I was on water pills at the time. It's like the key, it saved my life. I kept stopping before I had a piss, right? So I got to, there was no signal where I was, so I got to him about two miles of the car showroom, and he's ringing me.

1:00:55Dean Connell: Mate, where are you? Where are you? I said, I'm running a bit late. All right, mate, all right. So next thing I got a call through, mate, don't go there. I'm sitting outside. He's just come out. There's all armed police in there. There's dogs, everything, waiting for you. That's why he was ringing me to see where I was. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I phoned him, and I said, all right, mate. He said, where are you? I said, I'm outside. He went, where? I can't see you. I can't see you. Come in, come in. I said, you fucking lying cunt. I'm sorry. I said, you lying rat. I said, fuck off, and put the phone down.

1:01:28Dean Connell: But what I didn't know, see, this is called a dirty debt. Someone else had tried to do the debt before, a northern or somewhere, and they'd threatened to kidnap his wife and kids. Right. which is a no-no you don't do that if I'd have gone there they would have put me down for that I'd sat in the car with me I forgot I'd had I would have been fucked and I was a mile away from that it was a Friday I remember Friday and I turned around and drove back and I thought fuck me how lucky was that and my mate said to me you wouldn't have been out for 10 years for that he said you would have and would have walked into it because the Guizra gave us a debt lived in Spain and he hadn't told us the backlog that he'd already put a firm on it and they'd been threatening him saying all that shit would take you away and your family so I would have walked in as far as he knew that could have been me saying it and I remember getting indoors and you know you speak to your missus and they're oblivious to what's just happening and you sit there and you think fuck me that was close would you tell your missus or not nah no point is it you know they've got no comprehension of anything have they anyway really unless you're a clued up person would you take any would you take any debt on if it was not to do with drugs and would you travel anywhere in the country yeah yeah yeah give me some examples of some places you'd go and pick up a debt where'd we go I think we went I mean Manchester Liverpool everywhere you can think of one day we drove to where was it Aberdeen and back in the day because a lot of time we'd go there just knock on the door and shoot off again you don't to stay in the area because like i said i know pals who've got um gone in jail for phones in the area and whatnot so you just go there and uh again it was like a bad omen with that we was driving there and we were that one egg okay and it's falling down with rain couldn't see in front you know it was about four in the morning car spun out on the motorway in front of us i said this is a bad home and let's go back and we went no we can't because if we give our work that's it a lot of this is why we was good debt collectors as well if we say we go we go yeah where a lot of debt collectors they want to lay in bed they've had a drink the night before me and my partner didn't drink or whatever he's a muslim so he don't drink on i think it's health fanatic xboxer yeah so he gets up and trains like half two in the morning yeah and he's for that yeah and um so we would say if we was going we would go we'd do it and whatever and there's also a lot of debt collectors out there which is a not a nice thing they'll say um gives 10 15 grand up front because we would do it if if you don't get paid we don't get paid yeah that should be right yeah and the money goes back to you, then you pay us.

1:04:25Dean Connell: Then it's pretty legal that way, you know. You'll pay the man who's owed it and you pay us. Sometimes you get the people that don't want to pay you once you fucking get it for them. Is that right? Yeah, yeah. You've heard that? Yeah, of course you do. So you've got them picked up a debt for someone and they go, there's your dough and they go, ain't paying you? They go, oh, can't we sort out like cheap or whatever. Yeah, once it gets in, that's money again. Oh my God. Once it gets back in your hands and you'll be sitting there thinking, are you fucking wrong? No. I've just knocked on the geezer's door.

1:04:52Dean Connell: like one I've been to before you always hear this one and all oh this geezer's a wanker he'll give it to you straight away I would do it myself but I would do it myself but I'm frightened I'll smash him up or whatever and they go to you I don't mind if you smash him up I'm sure you fucking don't my face is on camera yeah go on give me a good eye yeah alright yeah you don't mind you know and like you've knocked there and it's meant to be him and there'd be ten geezers all living there if all foreign geysers standing there, you know what I mean? Or another one, I've had someone didn't come out and then when they've come out behind me, I've looked and they've got a screwdriver in their back pocket and shit like that, you know?

1:05:32Dean Connell: And so you never know when you go to people's doors, you don't know because you don't know how they're going to take it either, do you? You know? Because like I used to say to people, if you want to come to my door, you won't be leaving, you know? Because I don't owe no money. I'll pay everyone that I've ever had to pay. Yeah, same. Same. I was always talking to people, pay everyone.

1:05:51When I lost my business, it's had to do with a car.

1:05:55Dean Connell: I had to pay off the HP and that, and I'd give it to my mate. He'd give me the money, blah, blah, blah. I remortgaged my house to pay off, so he kept the car and that. Because you do what's right. Yeah, of course. But I've got some prick out there, a mate. I lent about 25 grand to three years ago at building materials. He paid me back about 10, and he said he was on hard times. And I let the 15 go for ages. 15 grand, right? And then when I just got out of hospital, he'd stay in contact every now and again. And I'd represented, this is what really pissed me off, I'd put my neck on the line for him before with people, protecting him from a debt, saying he owed money.

1:06:40Dean Connell: I wanted him to prove he owed the money, otherwise he wouldn't get him paid. And my boss said, because they were powerful people, He said, just tell him to pay something to him. He probably does it. I said, no, they've got to show me now. I said, because they're bullying him up. I'm going to smash your head in. I went and met him on my own with just him. And there was about four or five of them there. I said, shut up. Don't talk like cunts. We'll just fuck off. I've done that for him. So this 15 grand, all of a sudden I get a call about just before Christmas or whatever. Hello, mate. Can you go and pick up something?

1:07:16Dean Connell: I'm owed a debt of blah, blah, blah. I said I thought you weren't earning no money so I thought it was 10 grand he owed me so I looked in my book that I'd wrote down all that time ago 15 grand he owed me so I went and had a chat with him we had a chat yeah oh no I should have paid I forgot I owed it no one forgets 15 grand he'd forget and do you know what this is how little I think of money at the time I was going to just wipe my mouth I've lived without it yeah and I'd develop if he's a good friend I would have obviously have listen don't know but I didn't I said to him are you gonna play me then I said I'll do the debts all the sudden that's the new deal doing so that's when I got you still know paid me he will play me yeah you know but again he's took kindness for weakness yeah totally since if he come in now what would you say to him turn the cameras off

1:08:22let's go for a walk and talk yeah but I've given

1:08:27Dean Connell: every opportunity I said to him I would have thought more of you if you'd have just paid me 100 quid a week 100 quid just say something show some respect yeah but he's totally and he knows what I am and if he don't it's down to him you know and he's ignored me now about three months you not put a deadline on him? at the time I'd just injured my leg so I said to him he said I've got a job going I'll pay you it I think once he thought my leg was fucked he's just gone quiet alright I've had people good people say to him let me go and get it let me go and get it I didn't want to do that because, like I said again, I thought he was a mate.

1:09:12Dean Connell: And I said to him at the time, I said, you're meant to be a mate. I said, and you don't want to pay me. No, I do want to pay you. I should have. I should have. Totally banked me. Where do they leave you? What are you meant to do? You know? And I gave him a bit cash. He said to buy materials. Three years ago. How many people do you know would lend you 15 grand on a say so? Huh? I had a nice watch. again this is a nice watch I'd paid 17 to 19 grand when I fell out of everyone I looked at it and it was covered in diamonds and that I went to my mate have it it represents something I don't like no more have it and in the end he said look I'll give you 5 grand for it I said I don't want to he said no let me give you 5 grand but that's how much because, like I said, once I've got the hump with something, I'll cut my nose off to spite my face, and I look at it, why is everyone so fucking hungry for possessions all the time?

1:10:17Dean Connell: And you know the same thing. You've probably been through it. I used to change cars a lot, and you'd get it for five minutes, and then you're driving a car and you think, it's just a car. Yeah, mate. Unless you're happy in here. Yeah, absolutely. And that's why rich people, when they have kids and they've had no purpose, they end up on drugs. and that I think because they've had every material thing just given to them it don't mean anything and nothing and everyone's looking for that endorphin rush so then the only thing that gives them that endorphin rush is drugs yeah but I've found out over the last few years if you don't stand for nothing you don't live for nothing and you've got to have a purpose in your life and that means more than like I said my dogs I always say it about I love dogs I've got two dogs and I've always had dogs are they?

1:11:05Dean Connell: Victorian Bulldogs dogs, yeah, Dolly and Darcy, and they're my world. I never had kids, and they're my world. And when I was in hospital, when I come out of that coma, all I thought was, I've got to get home to them to lay with me and they sleep with me, and I know I can regenerate quick. And that's what happened, literally. I knew. The minute I felt them licking me and, like I said, I always say to people, do you know the best thing I've ever bought with money? My dogs. I've rescued one as well, and I would rescue them, like I rescued more but because they're a life force they're there for you all the time they love you yeah they give you so i mean they break your heart when they die but i also say to people yeah you might have a little while of sadness but look at all the years they'll give you happiness i suppose it's like when you have kids i ain't got kids but i say to people you could if you if you offered me 100 million for them dogs you couldn't get them off me okay because they are me they're mine and I always believe it and the other thing I believe when you kick the dog you kick the master and with them like I said you couldn't offer me no amount of money if anyone harmed my dogs I'd have no qualms on killing or dying for them because that's how I feel about them and I'd have to do it because I couldn't look at myself in the mirror if I didn't you know because they are my babies they're your blood and that's how I'm with friends and family though but that's how I've changed as I've got older and I've seen how people behave around you I used to be willing to take a bullet for someone because I believed it was the right thing to do.

1:12:35But now I realise it's not.

1:12:39Dean Connell: You shouldn't think yourself so cheap, you know, because would they take one for you? Not that I'm asking them to, and not that I'd ask anyone to risk their life or their family for me. If I do so, I'd do it on my own. And people after, they say, you should have asked me. I ain't going to ask you to risk because of my personal problem. you know that's my problem if I've got money and I want to pay you to do it and you take it as a job that's totally different, that's work isn't it but when people like as a mate like I said, Ben I know he'd be there at a drop of an hour Eggy, Andre Tony I know that but I'd never ask them to you know and that's the difference, a lot of people will gladly use you.

1:13:22But that's what you call proper friends.

1:13:24Dean Connell: Yeah I know. On one hand. That's it, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Well, it's like, have you seen... Going back to that acquaintance thing. Oh. People use mates too often, friends too often, yeah. Yeah, yeah. You know when you were debt collecting? Obviously, we can't mention your partner's name in this. Yeah. Did you enjoy those 10 years working with him? Yeah, they were good times. They were good and bad. It's what it is. When you've been a doorman, I see the door works like... You ever seen the film The Sniper? he says to his kid because his kid's beat the shit out of someone who's picking on his son he says there's three type of people he said there's wolves that are predators there's sheep what are the normal people and then there's sheep dogs to fight off the wolves but the sheep dog's got to have wolf in him to fight and I was more in life of a sheep dog so I found it against my nature to intimidate people because I don't value money that much so it was hard for me to intimidate people for money, the reason why I'm owed 15 grand after three years, because it don't actually, it ain't the money thing with that, it's principle because it's personal.

1:14:36Dean Connell: But I also understand the other side that if you stop paying your mortgage, they take your house. You know, pay your gas bill, they get you. You've got to have money and like I said, that person has been ripped off. What I find difficult here is you made a living and a debt collection. and someone's doing you 15 bags right now and you're like, if that was for someone else, you'd probably go and get it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So why don't you just go and get it?

1:15:05Dean Connell: Because money don't really mean that much to me. Yeah. I know what I'm going to have to do for that money. Yeah. And he's a weak man and it's like, you feel like, who would you rather lose? You've lost me now. I know what I'm worth for 15 grand. You know, that's what it's about. That's what I say to people now. I say you can have money or me. If you choose the money, go and have the money. But one day you'll need a good friend, as everyone does. I won't be there. I won't be there. That's it. That's it. I'm done. Once I'm done with you, I'm done with you. When you were debt collecting, did you ever come under, like, because I'd imagine you're going around there with your right-hand man.

1:15:50Yeah, yeah. and his name's massive around the uk was it a lot easier to get pickup debts knowing you had

1:15:58Dean Connell: that surname yeah okay yeah okay was it did it ever turn at all where someone's like i'm paying you money mate do what you want people try it because they know someone and that's what my boss would always say it's easier if they do know someone because that person knows the game yeah and you can't be wrong and strong so if he does know it he knows what he's doing then he'll say to him well you've got to pay these people the way I look at it if you've knocked 10 people and you have to pay one you've had a good run I'd say it to them I'd say look you've knocked all these people I'm on the hit to get one this is the one you've been caught for so you've won nine but you've lost this one that's it pay it so you've not robbed them but that's another thing you find once money's in people's hands they believe it's their money and they don't want to give it up at any cost, do they?

1:16:46Dean Connell: You know? And you think, wow, is that what it is? You know, money, money, money. And like I said, they'll lose friends, family. You know, people do it their own family. They're a bit of a family, don't they? Why did your partnership come to an end with your debt collecting partner? Just because of all the shit stirring and that with the people in the building company. it was like paranoia and they think that you've run it into the ground and because I come away then the people left behind could feed a load of shit now I'm talking about your debt collecting partner yeah he was with the company yeah yeah we've done everything together so you've been good mates for how many years 10 years Okay.

1:17:37Yeah.

1:17:38Dean Connell: Yeah. You still speak to him today? Yeah. Yeah. Off and on. Off and on. Like I said, I wanted to see him retire, go off into the sunset, have a steady income. And again, people find that hard to believe. And again, I do understand why. Because if you've spent a lifetime in jail, a long time in jail, you think everyone's a predator because you're around predators. Yeah. So in the back of your mind, you think someone can't be this nice that they want to do it for me just because it's me. But it's like having a brother. Years ago, the reason families were so strong in London and wherever was because your brothers have all got the same blood.

1:18:23Dean Connell: So if one of you get fucked, it's like you've just got that instinct. Again, that thing like I said about the door, that reflects on all of us. where if you're not family or that, unless you've got that real tight bond, it's easy to just go, let him go, let him go, I can go on, you know. And like I said, it just becomes, there was so much paranoia and that, and I weren't in a good way, because I tell you what, this woman who fucked me, when I met her, she was broke, I was doing a debt for her. She was broke, didn't have a thing, her son was in jail, a fuck-up. the husband who had money had robbed her.

1:19:05Dean Connell: So I gave her a new start and everything. And she'd come home to my house, have dinner with me, barbecues with me. She was 62. She was an older woman. And it was all she'd ever say to me because I let her run everything. So being a fool, getting about money, I used to ask her what we'd done. I didn't go and check the books. I'm not academic, you know. I know how to put people together and do things, get contracts and whatnot. but I don't know who did into that so that's why I got an accountant and her she said she'd run her husband's business I took her place right there and she'd come round and say we weren't this this week fine telling you what you wanted to hear and she'd say you know I'd never do you wrong Dean you know I'd never do you wrong Dean I'd never forget what you'd done for me so when it hit me I was in shock I was really in shock because I'd told because again not listening to me partner he was wiser he says hey right I mean so hey why the money's not working out right it's not right let me put that and I'd go I charge you I trust I trust you with your life okay I trust you with me life but he had that instinct that I didn't have yeah okay so when it kicked off and she had fucked us he looked at me like well why didn't you let me do something did you know about it and I think that's what done it I think that's what done it it was like why didn't you do something why didn't you I was too shell shocked by then to um I was just like can't believe it's happened she's done this to me when you in the 90s what was it like in Basildon.

1:20:51How do you explain the 90s? How do you explain the noughties, 2000s, the 2010s? How did it change?

1:20:59Dean Connell: In the 90s, it was very dark. And it seemed, because there weren't the cameras that there are now, people would get hurt left, right and centre and maliciously hurt. And it was like, I mean, if you look at the recent poll of Essex, Basildon's got the most crime in Essex, back when they brought out a Monopoly board of Essex, Basden was Old Kent Road. Old Kent Road. Yeah. It's a shithole. Yeah. And I remember speaking to an ex-army bloke who run a security in Basden Town Centre and that. He said, for some reason, he said, Dean, he said, if I'm so aggressive in Basden. And most of it's probably because it was an influx from the East End.

1:21:45Dean Connell: Yeah. Where I grew up, all the people there were moving out. It was a slum clearance from the East End. So everyone that come down there, they were rough and ready people. And if you had a score to settle, it was done and dusted. Like I said, one of my best pals I grew up with at the time, when I was kids, we would have fights non-stop. And then now we're like, he was mates again. I can remember his mum saying when we was arguing, oh, for fuck's sake, just have a fight. And we'd tell him he's long. Yeah. I remember we had a fight and he got frustrated and started crying. He was a boxer. So he went upstairs, got his boxing gloves, and then I tuned him over his neighbour's fence and that was it done and dusted.

1:22:26Dean Connell: They weren't there stamping on people's heads or that. We were kids. But the mum was like, right, that's it done. You'll be fucking playing out together later. Have you seen it turn more violent over the last 20 years as well? Well, now I think it's because

1:22:43Dean Connell: because people have got so, and they've got soft, especially boys, everyone keeps their kids in there. They've got the illusion because of social media that the streets are so dangerous. Statistically, you're less likely to be kidnapped and taken away now than you was years ago because the grooming's all done online. So the actual thing they're putting them into when they sit there for hours, that's why you've got a bee sitting there. kids don't play out no more you don't see them we was out the street but what did you what did you think though of the knife crime just coming in have you seen the knife crime rise for the last 10 years it's done out of fear isn't it fear people carrying these zombies around fear fear fear and getting a media reputation online like I'm pals with a fellow Steve who runs the market store he's run it for 40 years and he coaches the boxing so I do when I'm healthy pads and that with him.

1:23:39Dean Connell: There was a fight a little while ago, broad daylight, a group of kids on one, and then at the end of it one of them pulled out a big knife and stabbed him. He was already kicked the shit out of but one of them had to pull out a big knife because he's got to be the one to trump all the rest of them. Did you see that thing in South End last year or that? Yeah, when all the zombies running around. Yeah, and look what's happening in London at the moment when the other week what'd they call it, rushing or something, all the TikTokers were making. There's no policing. You know, real policing ain't investigated.

1:24:15Dean Connell: It's like, do you know what, I say this a lot of the time, I feel like a dinosaur now. I feel like I don't belong in this world. And it started happening on the doors. When new people, a new area manager took over on the doors when I was there the last few years, he said, we want the doorman to look like Towie. We want to get rid of the old steroid tattoo, bald-headed. Well, that's all well and good, but trouble won't change. Violence is still violence. You can get people in that look like Towie, but at the end of the day, a dominant just doing his job when he's breaking up fights. He's a deterrent.

1:24:50Dean Connell: He's protecting. And he's got to look a deterrent. Like, you don't have a... A Rottweiler looks like a Rottweiler, not only because he can do the job of a Rottweiler. He's a deterrent. Most people won't go near the Rottweiler. But that's how it was becoming. Use verbal jiu-jitsu, they call it. all this bullshit and that's what's happened on the streets and that there's no discipline there's no nothing you say to a parent your kid's done something they'll turn on you okay don't fuck off when I was a kid if anyone said anything you got clumped first and asked questions later you know that's how it was I mean do you ever get the fear not fear is the wrong word do you ever get the sort of the feeling like you've got a massive reputation very well respected for that certain age group do you think no but I think you see some kids coming when they were 17, 18 they haven't got a clue about a 49, 50 year old man what he's done what his history is they could just come in and just bam I take everyone serious everyone serious and this is what I say I don't argue in cars I say to people all the time people think I'm going to be I've never had a road rage thing someone cuts me up I know someone else is going to cut me up don't I unless they're serious and want to come out the car and fuck me up.

1:26:05Dean Connell: If I'm wrong, I'll put my hands on and say, sorry, I'll put my hazards on and say, thank you. My mum, like I said, she's old. She drove me a little while ago and it's funny. She went to me and she's got dementia. She went, you're quite a knight on the road, really, aren't you? I said, what? She said, you let everyone out, you're polite. I said, why wouldn't I be? I said, I'm driving. I said, it ain't going to make no odds to me if I let him out. No people get pissed off and say, I'll let him out and he didn't say, thank you. Most people aren't going to say thank you You're very humble Well I hope so Thank you You're very humble And there's another saying And kind And also like A friend of mine Marcus Redwoods He's very humble Yeah yeah Nice fellow isn't he Lovely fellow One of the nicest in the world We'll make sure They'll do anything for anyone Yeah If he's got your back He's got your back That's it He's been brought up Old school Old school Yeah And that's why I do these things Yeah Like nostalgia To get these stories across Yeah I know Because it's a dying world It's a dying world It is All of a sudden A load of them all Be dead in 10 years, 5 years, 10 years, and they're all forgotten.

1:27:04Dean Connell: I know. Actually, the old school's important. Yeah, it is. But you look back and like I said, I don't know whether you can change it now. But I think they should have had boxing in schools. I think they should have. Because if you teach people how to, I'm into self-protection now when I trained with, have you ever had Lee Morrison on? No. Good. He does urban combat, that's right. He was the inventor of it. Has he trained with Geoff Thompson? He knows Geoff Thompson well. Who's the criminal? He's the top. He's started. Well, he's took it on now to the next level. He trains Navy SEALs, everyone.

1:27:39Dean Connell: And if you go on YouTube, he's brilliant at what he does, right? Lee Morrison. And I went down and tried with him because I'm starting self-protection. That's what I'm getting into. Because I understand. It's like I said, when you're going along in life, right? You put a seatbelt on. You don't notice your seatbelt until you have a crash. Thank God for that. people don't do that with learning how to protect themselves and their family but it's just it's the most important thing to you and for an hour or two hours a week of training just to get yourself in a position where it might give you that little bit and it don't mean smashing

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1:29:19Dean Connell: people up it means avoiding it for a start using your voice for a start especially with women have you noticed when you see a lot of YouTube videos where men go up to women who don't talk English and a woman normally goes quiet and compliant and walks off and they can do a hand signal behind their back but not just that if they turn around most times and just went fuck off mate just fuck off and everyone took notice most times they'd disappear but instead they go in and say whether it's an English thing they go and now you're compliant to them they're going to herd you off like they do a lying in a thing to where you want and this is what I say to people use yourself attract attention don't worry about being embarrassed but unless you practice it most people are going to shock yeah they said I saw the other day that every the average bloke thinks he's thinks he can have a fight and then never trained never had a fight maybe had one fight never trained to fight no on the average they said I think he said the average bloke thinks he's 400 % harder than he is yeah I thought it was a great stat yeah and there's another one on there on YouTube I watched the other day he studied over 500 fights and give you the statistics of people that train in Jiu Jitsu how many times they lose because street fighting and sport are two different things you're not taught to gouge someone's eyes out or bite off their nose whatever you've got to do to win it's got to be vicious I tell you what I had a friend of mine in their podcast this day come in he's a top top down of Jiu Jitsu you do not want to get on the floor it doesn't matter how big you are he's the 1 % that's what I'm saying he's the 0.1 % and I said to him yeah he'd tie you in knots and he's humble and beautiful but mate ardors now cauliflower he said mate I don't fear anyone no don't learn coming in mate no I've got my own space yep but if I get you on the floor I don't care if you're 28 stone no he'd tie you up I'll tie you up I'll put you up I'll put you up I'll put you to sleep yeah give me give me three seconds you'll be in sleep yep but the one trouble with that and again this is studied in that study 80 % of people who take it to the floor lose because they don't account for other people stamping on your head.

1:31:26Other people coming in.

1:31:27Dean Connell: And this is what I used to say on the door, right? There's a lot of them used to train jiu-jitsu because you're restraining. Yeah. But that's all well and good. I'll give you an example of that. Now I remember there was one of the pubs we was doing and it had a three or four foot wall round. We only had about four doormen and about 15 people come down from London. They didn't know Envy had shut. Yeah. So they want to come in this one. manager said don't want him in so he said you can't come in but now there's this smoking area with a wall so now a couple of them they've been getting more more aggressive and they're all blokes so now they've jumped over and a couple of my pals done jiu-jitsu choked them up but they're on the floor now yeah with one person i'm left standing there with a load of them about to come over so at the time i had a torch as a self-defense so you're not meant to carry it but it spiked on the and it extends as a baton.

1:32:24Dean Connell: So now I've gone in, fuck, I've come over here, I fucking do it. Blah, blah, blah. None of them come over by luck and then the old build turned up. But that's what I said to them. I said, when you take someone on the floor, especially at door work, now you've just got one person, you're going to have a 10 now. An opportunity while you're on the floor. Yeah, and that's why you've got to bang them out. And it's the same with a street fight. The last place, even Geoff Thompson said it, last place you want to end up is on that floor. Because it ain't even got to be someone with him. So if you're on top winning, someone will walk over and kick you in the face just for the sake of it.

1:32:58Dean Connell: But when I say to people about martial arts and that, I say, of course they work for the supreme ones who have been doing it their whole life, like Jeff and that. But again, Jeff, if you watch it, he says, until he mixed it with boxing, with this, with that, and he said, with one sentence I'll give you to practice self-protection, learn how to bang and learn how to bang hard and go first you've got to go first and again this is what's hard for a normal person to do when they're not used to doing it because it goes everything you're taught against as a kid, donate him to the issue first donate him to the issue first well by the time you're it you could either be unconscious dead or you're already on your back foot and you're going and it takes practice to do it on a trigger I'm in a fight anyway Let's do it.

1:33:52Dean Connell: Let's attack, attack, attack. And that's why if you watch Lee Morrison, he's brilliant. Like I said, I went to train with him, and he's still in contact with me. And that's what I'm going to – because like I said, now I'm in a different perspective of life. I want to help people. It has got dangerous out there, let's be honest, especially for women, women and that, you know. My niece, she's just 19, on a train with her mate. guys are grabbing her arse and she's froze she's froze and you think and you can't rely on other people to help you you know what were the roughest boozes and clubs you'd ever done probably Envy and the Tango I'd done the ministry a few times that was quite a fun experience it was on the night of Notting Hill Carnival it was the only after party for Notting Hill Carnival everywhere was shut sensibly but the ministry's open and when I was up there before they used to put one person at each end of the streets you'd have the entry there and you're standing up I said fucking hell he's alright up there isn't he where do you think they stuck me because again with door work it's the only thing if you're good at it you get the shittiest places instead of the better so I'm there I'm 5 foot 7 and a half no one can see me and every gang that gets turned away they've got to come past me so I've got my hands in my pockets with stuff on me and everyone's coming past and you get the odd comment but you think this is going to go in a minute and I can't so I've got a radio but you can't have a radio yeah you're fucked yeah yeah I thought wow this is a good night up here but yeah it went alright but yeah but Tangay and the MV which was all gangs from London all coming down they shut it at Romford because it was too much agro and it was literally just every night.

1:35:48Dean Connell: I mean, I used to do the door four or five nights a week. For how many years? The total 15? Yeah. Really? Yeah, that's full time for me, yeah. Oh, okay. And it was just chaos because you knew a lot of them had just come out of jail. We didn't have no, we'd done a bit of wanding, but there was no like metal detector wanding. Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. ID was all you had to show it was like easy to get in with us it weren't until we started getting the things that register you on it you know the computers but they wanted to keep them away because you knew you wouldn't get the clientele in to spend the money that one place because it's champagne how is your mind Dean when you're going to work are you going there going I've got to be prepared for a tear up tonight or you've got to be on you know which ends about you but are you are you like some nights because some nights even the quieter nights when it's just quiet nothing's happening oh often yeah where's that come from oh I always count on adrenaline for me adrenaline shoots in I mean ever since I was a kid I've been hyper alert yeah although I can see I used to say to people they'd say to me one time someone said funny they said Dean's a sort of doorman he's like a smash the glass when needed person like if it's kicking off but most of the time I'm chilled, easy going and what not but when your adrenaline kicks in you come alive and like I say you just got to be you know the late of the night you're more tired you get in but you know that's the time normally when things start getting bad haven't it?

1:37:29Dean Connell: Have you been around anyone who's been tortured?

1:37:40I don't know

1:37:40Dean Connell: if it's torture one of my a part of mine when I was growing up he died at 40 so what was it 12 years ago but I was friends with his family and his brother this was a few years ago

1:37:59Dean Connell: he sold a car or something to someone but someone didn't do it right and some traveller boys befriended him took him in a car and they filmed this and put it on YouTube and he ain't a fighter whatsoever. He's not a fighter. He's a nice fellow. He trains. They're all a bit of gear but he's never violent. They've took him, smashed the fuck out of him in the car on camera holding a screwdriver saying we're going to kill you and all this. Two in the front, two in the back. Your fucking face is out there just kept whacking them as they're driving, filming it. I think you're a tough man. I think you're a he-man.

1:38:38Dean Connell: We want 10 grand off you and all this. Took him to a field tied up, middle of nowhere. Said, now we're going to cut your throat and leave you here. Which is torture, isn't it? Yeah. So they said, if we don't get the 10 grand, we're going to... Anyway, they disappeared. Somehow he managed to get out. Got to the side of the road. Got a lift home. His eye was fucked. He's fractured and all that. The travellers who'd done it, his dad was good friends with another traveller. who was well-known. He phoned him up, because his sister had met him and given him the 10 grand, that's why they let him go. Said, you're a fucking disgrace to us, what you've done to him.

1:39:23Dean Connell: He's done nothing wrong, blah, blah, give him the fucking money back. They dropped it off within a fucking hour, dropped the money off. But he was fucked mentally after that. Yeah. His eyesight was fucked for ages, and they put it out over Facebook, YouTube, and all that. Bloody hell. Mm. yeah but I talked to his dad

1:39:48Dean Connell: because his dad wanted something of me to do something and his dad's got to be in his 70s and I said it's not your place I said if someone's got the money if he wants to do something pay someone to do it his dad was like a game fucker when he was younger I said you ain't doing this I said it's not your position I said your son's a grown man at the end of the day he's capable I can sort things out for you if that's what you want I said but you're not doing it yourself I said you shouldn't have to he shouldn't even let you and he didn't he didn't but his dad thought it was his place well done for giving him that yeah I couldn't let him do that as a little boy as a dad of course You don't know what's going for you, Red.

1:40:41Well, I know what'll go for fucking mine. Yeah, same. But do you know what I mean?

1:40:44Dean Connell: No one has stopped me. But it was his age and that. If he had been in his 50s or whatever, maybe. But he was in his 70s. Yeah, okay. And at the end of the day, your son was up to illegal activities as well. Although it shouldn't have been done to him. So he's got to know he's in that game. That's a tough lesson though, isn't it? Fucking was. Because he ain't got a bad bone in him. No. And he's a nice fella. and even like a year later with that, it changed him. What's the one where someone got in, someone got tortured and they jumped out the window, broke their leg and they came on running? Oh yeah, Jason Vella.

1:41:20Dean Connell: Right there. He's passed away now, I believe. Has he? Yeah, I think so. What happened there? Basically, drug debt, it was in Pitsy. That was around the time, all around the time of the Essex boys when they got shot in there. Okay. Basically, it's all on public record, the guy's called Reggie Nunn, I think it was. He was either running drugs or doing something. I don't know whether money went missing, gear went missing, but they had him in a flat, which I think was Vela's flat that they didn't know was being watched by police and filmed at the time from a flat across. Have you seen the film Love, Honour and Abbey?

1:41:55Dean Connell: Yeah. You know, that's where they got that from, when they fell in my SD, made him eat dog food, stuck a Bromando up his arse. Yeah, that's where that came from. And then he heard them say in the background, let's take them and finish them tomorrow. so with that he run and dived out the second floor window he hit the ground broke his leg and that but managed to run off to a neighbour they all run out and scarpered and I've got I think he got about 18 years for that that was the end of him yeah are you ever around the football ever around West Ham no I've never been into football I know a lot of people from it yeah yeah I know obviously I know Colton yeah yeah but I've got people like I said around but no I've never been into football you're West Ham obviously yeah no I've never been into football yeah no what's your how would you explain your world today Dan erm pretty calm I'm pretty calm I'm easy going you are easy going yeah I'm easy going like I said but don't get on the wrong side no listen I'll give you a little opportunity you can call me every night I'm not a sandwich It wouldn't particularly bother me.

1:43:09Dean Connell: Until you want to touch me or my family, then it's a different game, you know? But on the door you get called every day, every fucking day, you know? Spat out, spat in your face, everything. But what hurts me, if a friend does something to you, if a stranger has you over, you expect a stranger to. If it's someone close to you, that hurts. And I think inside, I'm a very loyal person. if I say I'm with you if you phone me at 3 in the morning no questions where I've changed now I would ask questions I don't mean I wouldn't go with you but I'd want to know you're in the right first and foremost you know but yeah like I said I'm pretty chilled out like I said I'm going to start doing documentaries with Ben I've still got all my old pals we still go out for meals Ben's done brilliantly with Inquire yeah I love his love that sort of style it's basically a no face podcast isn't it where he's talking about faces from around that underworld well at some point he's going to do his own story because I said go on something or I said because he said to me set up your own doing this and again I said I don't know how to do this and he said I said I'd interview Ben though I said because your story he's got a good story he's a face yeah he's a proper face yeah yeah and he's from Stoke isn't he yeah yeah yeah oh yeah he's been a little fellow as you sit today Dean are you happy I'm happier than I've been a long time I ain't got the pressures I used to have yeah I ain't got the pressures I'm not I don't run around singing and dancing but I like to have a laugh the main thing in life is to have a laugh because like I said you ain't here long and as long as my mum and dad are still alive I'm happy because every day is a blessing there with him.

1:45:09Dean Connell: Two brothers, my dogs, my friends, my family. I'll be honest, I probably would still do anything for anyone because I can't help myself, especially if it's a matter of principle and I can't help myself. I'll put principle over money every week, like I said. And normally I end up doing it for nothing as well. Now? Yeah, even now. Yeah. You're never going to change you and you shouldn't have to change you. You've just got to, as you get older, like you've probably been turned over. You've probably had everything, everyone. And like I said, you start thinking, and I do say it, I say to people now, if you can count, count on yourself.

1:45:51Dean Connell: Because trust is an hard thing. It is an hard thing. But you have to trust that you can't live, can you? You know? What are you going to do? Be solitary all your life. You've got to risk getting hurt. It's the same thing as having a dog. At the end of the day, you know the dog's going to pass away at some time, but every day you've got with it... Enjoy. Enjoy it, yeah, you know. Dean, I've loved this. Yeah, is it all right? Yeah. I hope so. Mate, really good. I hope people like it. Mate, really good. Yeah. You're a proper nice human being. I try to be. And humble. I try to be. And kind, all these wonderful gifts.

1:46:24Fair play to you, mate. No, like I said,

1:46:27Dean Connell: it's nice to be nice, isn't it? Yeah, of course. You know, and good manners cost nothing. That's how it's brought up, you know. But we've been brought up with good manners and morals and respect. And when you're around good people, you want to be, like I said, and like what I said before, you've got to come together. You can't keep having this mentality of me, me, me. Because what's good, I know a lot of people have got a lot of money. They're not happy because they're on their own. That's right. You know, at the end of their life, I said, it always reflects on you. At the end of your life, if you've been an abusive pig, your kids won't want to know you.

1:46:56Dean Connell: You're single, your wives have left you. And they sit there miserable as fuck. Isn't it? Absolutely. Dean, loved it, mate. Cheers. It's a proper and eventful life you've lived, mate. I wish you all the best in the future. Cheers, Dodge. Good gentleman. Thank you, mate. Good man. Good man. If you'd like to see someone on the show, leave a comment below. And if you haven't already, do us a favour, show us a bit of love, press the subscribe button, and it allows us to grow the show even bigger and bigger each week. Nice one.

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