Hello all

Thank you for visiting my profile.

I am a former Scotland Yard Specialist Operations detective. During my career (and in addition to routine murder squads), I served on both the Central Drug Squad and the Regional Crime Squad. Whilst serving on the former, I was part of a team responsible for seizing the (then) largest illicit cocaine hydrochloride consignment to be landed in the UK — a tonne of coke tracked from Venezuela to London utilising a US DEA satellite. When on the latter squad, one notable success was the recovery of paintings belonging to the Beit collection: masterpieces stolen by both the IRA and later, an infamous Dublin criminal, Martin Cahill, known as The General (played by Brendan Gleeson in the movie, The General). Another was the seizure of a large chunk of the Mapplethorpe collection, artwork stolen from the Mapplethorpe Foundation, New York.

I was also the detective who convinced the hierarchy at the Yard that an undercover freefall parachutist could be used to infiltrate drug trafficking gangs — and with the help of (then) Norman Tebbit MP, persuaded the Home Office to raise the quantity of drugs undercover police officers could purchase from criminals when partaking in test/sample buys.

Towards the end of my career, when responsible for money laundering investigations in the Caribbean region, I lived in Kingston, Jamaica. Though it could be a tad dodgy back then, I fell in love with the country, the people and the food. As for Blue Mountain coffee — well, Ian Fleming was right.

With the above background information in mind, it's worth mentioning there are so many ploys, tricks, cons, procedures, terms, scams, techniques, etc., used by both undercover police (and criminals) that writers of both film and television screenplays with a crime angle, are unaware. And errors! One that really annoys me is the villain wearing leather gloves. A professional criminal would know this is a taboo! Another is the myth regarding Interpol. Interpol does not investigate crime! In fact, it was a punishment posting for London detectives. And don't get me on the use of the word 'target' as said by police officer characters during briefings, surveillance, etc. It's time some of these methods/procedures/expressions, etc., were utilised/corrected in scripts . . .

I am also a published author — one book having reached No. 7 in the WHSmith best selling list. Another, I am reliably told by a former guest of one of Her Majesty's establishments, was the most read book in HMP Ford. However, my literary agent does not represent screenwriters, so here I am, etc.

A couple of years ago, McCoy Films, a Hollywood production company, attempted to option The Cruciverbalist. Alas, I was given bad advice at my end and foolishly rejected their offer. Such is life. I am now in the process of attempting to turn the story into a novel.

The screenplay Skydiver had technical assistance from a guy with whom I once worked. He is both ex UK special forces and MI6. It is he who (within the screenplay) explains the method of clandestine exfiltration from hostile territory by hitching a lift with a Royal Navy submarine, as well as one way poison can be delivered during the course of a government endorsed assassination. I'm not revealing any state secrets; he openly discusses such matters — and more — in his autobiography.

Also, if one went through the agony of reading all my screenplays, one might notice I frequently use the same names for characters, or use the same location, or describe the same action scenario, etc., eg, undercover police method or parachuting technique. Obviously, if a screenplay were optioned, similar references in other works would be deleted, or changed dramatically. Until then, I'll mix and match, etc. — writing what I know about.

Six of my fourteen shorts are available for a peppercorn fee. If you seek to use any of them, please ask me first.

Finally, if you download a screenplay and after reading it, decide you like it, please press the like option, the heart icon, under the scripts entry. All likes count!

I wish you all well in your writing endeavours . . .

J

P.S. I divide my time between homes in Scotland and London, but am always contactable and reply to all messages.