A MAN who was once the UK’s most notorious football hooligan has managed to turn his life around and become a bestselling author and cult movie star.
Carlton Leach built up an infamous reputation for fighting on the terraces in the 1980s and 90s but now leads a life far away from crime.
Carlton has left the world of gangs and football hooliganism far behind himTwitter/Carlton Leach
Carlton Leach gave up his criminal life in 1995 after his friends were killed in a drug-related shooting
Leach, who was born in Canning Town on March 12, 1959, got involved in crime at an early age, after joining the football hooligan gang, Inter City Firm, who follow the East London club West Ham FC.
The gang got its moniker from using InterCity trains to travel to away matches and infamously starting fights with the opposition’s fans.
The Inter City Firm became known for their habit of leaving a card on the bodies of those they attacked that read: “Congratulations, you’ve just met the ICF.”
While he was a part of the gang, Leach met Tony Tucker, Craig Rolfe, and Pat Tate.
The four men later became members of the notorious Essex Boys gang which sparked a savage drug war in the 1990s.
Leach was one of Britain’s most feared faces during his 20-year career as a criminal.
However, he decided to turn his back on a life of crime after three of his best friends and gang mates were murdered in a drug-related shooting.
Tucker, Rolfe, and Tate were all shot during the 1995 Range Rover shooting.
The three drug dealers were shot in their car on a small farm track in Rettendon, Essex.
Leach started telling his story in the hope it would deter others from following in his criminal footsteps.
In 2003, Leach wrote his first autobiography called “Muscle” about his experiences as a criminal.
He then wrote his second memoir in 2009, titled, “Rise of the Footsoldier: In My Game, the Choice Is a Jail or a Grave,” which detailed his stories of violence, gang crime, and the loss of his best friend.
Then, in October 2021, the former criminal released his final, bestselling autobiography, entitled, Carlton: The Final Say.
The book details his early and criminal life, as well as the two most recent decades of his life since.
His first memoir was turned into a film in 2007, entitled, Rise Of The Footsoldier by Bafta-award nominated director Julian Gilbey.
It starred actor Ricci Harnett, who played Leach.
The British crime and gangster film grossed £220,868 and had a second part made in 2015, that followed Leach in the aftermath of the Rettendon murders.
The 64-year-old also inspired the 2015 film, Essex Boys: Law of Survival, which detailed the Essex boys gang and Range Rover murders of 1995.
Exclusivepix MediaCarlton was previously a member of the football hooligan gang InterCity Firm[/caption]
Carlton has penned three books about his lifeTwitter/Carlton Leach Read More