Michael Maisley grew up during the late nineties on the Ivy Bridge
Estate in Isleworth, west London. Abandoned by his father and abused by
his uncle, scared and wanting to feel as if he belonged, he fell in with
a local gang. He started drinking, taking drugs and shoplifting. By the
time he was fifteen he was an armed robber. When a poorly planned raid
on his local corner shop went wrong, he was sent to the infamous Feltham
Young Offenders Institute. Michael's first stint in Feltham left him
hardened. Assigned to the Quail Wing, home to the institute's most
violent and dangerous offenders, he soon established his place in the
system. Over the next five years, Michael became one of London's most
wanted armed robbers. In and out of prison, he was accused of
drug-dealing, assault and even attempted murder. Totally dependent on
drugs and alcohol, he was subjected to a controversial detox programme
which ended in a failed suicide attempt. At rock bottom, he began
attending AA meetings. But a drug-deal gone wrong left him with an
ultimatum - change or die. Could he leave his criminal past behind? A
Boy with a Gun is a powerful story of redemption by a man who found the
strength to turn his life around and - with no qualifications - to
become a successful businessman and loving father.
