LESSONS LEARNED

Before my horrifying ordeal being cuckooed by a violent County Lines gang, who held me captive in my home for 7 months, while they nonchalantly used it as a base to comit criminal activity from. Whilst simultaneously making me endure the worst kinds of physical, psychological and sexual abuse. I was SO naive.

I trusted the police would eventually swoop in and rescue me. Never did I imagine the police were directing the whole sorry situation from behind the scenes. It never crossed my mind that the police had carefully constructed the entire scenario. That unbeknown to me, I was involuntarily being used by them as an inside informer to catch the gang. I'm still confused as to how I- the victim- was arrested, prosecuted and charged as the criminal. I don't think I'll ever comprehend how a team of trained police officers; whose job is to protect and serve, sat back and watched the scenario unfold over those 7 months.

An investigation by the IOPC and Professional Standards later revealed that those officers heard my terrified screams and pleas for mercy. Caught snippets of conversation by the gang members walking down the street bragging about drugging me and gang raping me. Never once witnessed me leaving the property in the entire 7 months. Worse, all officers acknowledged the fact that they were fully aware I was the victim, that I had no involvement with the gang's criminal activity and was being charged by the lead detective as a result of a grudge. A grudge held against me because I outright refused to give over any information. This led to the investigation failing miserably.

So these are my lessons learned from the experience as a whole, ahe knowledge and insight I gained into the world of County Lines...

1. The police may have strict rules, regulations and protocol to follow; but rules bend, and some are regularly broken.

2. The UK justice system can get it horribly wrong. Miscarriages of justice happen more often than we realise.

3. Cover your arse all the time in every area of life. Being 10 steps ahead of everyone else is the most useful tool to have under your belt.

4. I've touched on this subject in a previous post but remember that teenagers are manipulative and sadly, there are some that are not being exploited, but are actually the exploiters.

5. Legal Aid solicitor's aren't the best.

6. Always be prepared for the worst, and hope for the best.

7. Just because someone is a criminal or has a criminal history, doesn't necessarily make them a bad person.

8. Though you should be congratulated for your success, more often than not, resentment will be the response.

9. It is categorically impossible to earn enough money to financially support yourself, in a legal manner.

10. Trying your best and working hard will get you nowhere in life. The only thing that will is luck.

It took a long time to find out how a County Lines gang, completely unknown to me, had managed to force entry into a home I had only moved into a fortnight prior. However, I eventually got answers...

My best friend at the time had been approached by an undercover police officer. He or she had explained to my friend that they were targeting a well known County Lines gang they had never successfully bought to justice. Did my friend know of anyone who could get in on the inside, and become a confidential informer for the police in a bid to help them?

For one solitary £20 chunk of crack cocaine - my best friend devised the plan; put the idea forward to the undercover officer and it was agreed that the gang would be informed of a place they could use as their base to sell drugs from. It would be easy to gain entry and even easier to keep me under control.

I was sold out by my best friend and a police force for a £20 stone.

Moral of the story?

Life's a bitch and then you die, so fuck the world and let's get high.