Billy Moore Interview - A Prayer Before Dawn Meets Hard Time
My full interview with Billy Moore, a Muay Thai Prison boxer out of
Liverpool, whose life story is being made into a feature film starring
Charlie Hunnam. I strongly recommend his book, A Prayer Before Dawn.
Shaun Attwood
From T-Bone (Letter 39)
T-Bone is a massively-built spiritual ex-Marine, who uses fighting skills to stop prison rape. T-Bone’s latest letter:
I got into it with an extremely large
fellow the other day. He was taking the store from a crazy guy called James. When
James complained, the large fellow told him to suck his dick. When he went to
play cards, I walked into his cell, took the store back and returned it to
James.
The big guy sat there playing cards, like
nothing had happened, and then rushed me in my cell. He had me against the wall,
hitting my arms and legs. He was strong and he hit hard. I hadn’t fought anyone
that hard since Lebanon.
I almost went down five times until an
energy came over me – a power. I heard no other sounds or saw anything but him
and his hand moving in slow motion. I grabbed his right hand with mine and
pulled it across his throat. It’s called a lion tamer. I put an open hand
strike into his solar plexus, let go of his right hand, ducked his next punch and
countered with a right hand that knocked his jaw out of place.
While that was going on, two guys were beating up James. I ran down to James cell, pulled them off him, came back to my cell and once more my store had been stolen.
While that was going on, two guys were beating up James. I ran down to James cell, pulled them off him, came back to my cell and once more my store had been stolen.
Now I calculate my next move.
My book Prison Time includes how I met T-Bone
Shaun Attwood
From Xena/She-Ra (Letter 8)
Xena/She-Ra - A 6 1/2 foot transsexual and Wiccan priestess with a tattooed penis. The charismatic leader of Cult Of Xena (COX). Cut off a testicle and almost bled to death.
Dear Shaun,
So many years have passed since we have
last touched and so many things have happened since then. I miss you, my friend!
I wish I could have spent more time with you. So many years have I spent
addicted to heroin. Wow! What a difference this year has been for me. Now I am
heroin free. Yay!
Parts one and two of the removal of my
testicles were written years ago when I was high and depressed. I’m going to
finish part three without any of the written parts one and two to refresh my
memory. However, I believe this memory will never leave my brain because of the
extreme nature of events. And also part four, the removal of the left testicle,
which happened November 29, 2012. Part four will have you even more grossed out
than the earlier parts, which you included in your book, Prison Time. I don’t
take any painkillers, so having to deal with my pain daily is hard on my
mentality. I am trying though.
My current boyfriend got locked up in 1992
when he was sixteen for murder. He spent ten years on death row. He used to
work for the Aryan Brotherhood as a torpedo, busting people’s faces in for
payment of debts. His story is interesting and sad. He is an innocent man. He
never did the murder and he can prove it. He was set up by the police
investigator and the prosecution.
The difference in prison compared to the
time you left is like night and day. Even more drug users! Oh my Gawd! I can’t
escape the continual pull of heroin opportunities. So mostly I sit in my cell
and talk to my man or sleep. I exercise and I sketch. I eat healthy now. My
meals consist of vegetables and rice and tuna – no sugar – and I try to not use
fake sugars like Sweet’N Low. I eat foods with very little salt, and I stay
away from most meats. Although sometimes, I will eat chicken. Rarely though.
I am working on a blog about how not to
get raped in prison and also a list of excuses prisoners use to not pay other
prisoners.
Listen, you are truly so good to me. I
love you. You are the best friend I have ever had. I know of nobody in my life
who would even take the time to keep in touch after so many years. My own
family even have trouble staying in touch with me.
I love you!
Xena
Shaun Attwood
From T-Bone (Letter 38)
T-Bone is a massively-built spiritual ex-Marine, who uses fighting skills to stop prison rape. T-Bone’s latest letter:
NOT GUILTY! Praise God, he did it! Not
guilty on everything. The jury only went into deliberations for a few hours. It
didn’t take them long to see through the lies.
I had to stand in front of 120 people,
while the court read out loud the crimes I was charged with, but hadn’t
committed. The people in the justice system are cold, and I mean real cold.
One crime I was accused of was in an
area with a security camera. The cop in this case said the video footage wasn’t
available because there was no one there to make a copy for him.
My lawyer asked the cop on the stand, “Wasn’t
there anyone in the tech department in the Phoenix Police Department who would
make a copy for you?”
“I don’t know,” the cop responded, which
in other words meant it was a bogus case.
They didn’t care. They went after me
like a dog after a cat.
The cop admitted on the stand that he
knew a witness had lied multiple times. They knew all that, but they didn’t
care. All they cared about was putting me away for 145 years.
Anyway, the verdict was awesome. It was
so powerful to experience God’s love at that moment. They tried to give me 145 years,
but God said no. Now I am even more motivated to spread the word of truth and
to tell people to say no to drugs, gangs and that lifestyle.
God gave me a victory, and soon I will
be free. When I was a kid, I always knew God was there. I just didn’t know how
to communicate with him and I allowed other influences to cloud my mind. But
let me tell you something: I will sing to the top of the mountain that there is
a God, who saved and delivered me from 145 years in that courtroom. God is love,
and never forget that fact.
To everyone at the T-Bone Appreciation Society:
I thank all of you who have allowed the goodness to come out of your hearts to
help me. Please know that we should never give up no matter how hard things get,
and please be aware of what evil does to people like those in the court. Believe
in what is good, love people, think and speak positive. I am on fire, full of
joy, so right now all I want to do is say how good life truly is.
I have one minor charge to deal with. So
still I must wait in this place.
Shaun Attwood, you are a true friend. Jesus
said a man can call himself fortunate if he can count his friends on one hand
in a lifetime. God bless you, my friend, my brother. Keep telling the kids to
stay away from drugs and to watch out for sickos. Peace to you, my brother. I’ll
write more soon. Here’s to you, Shaun, and to me coming over to England for a
visit.
Each one teach one,
Strength and honour
Steel embrace
T-bone
My book Prison Time includes how I met T-Bone
Shaun Attwood
T-Bone Not Guilty!
A jury found T-bone not guilty of all of major
charges. For three years, I’ve been unable to post online about T-Bone’s case because it may
have been used against him in court. The bottom line is the State of Arizona wanted
to put T-Bone away for life. The justice system in Arizona is extremely racist
and T-Bone is considered extremely dangerous because of his military training
as a Marine. To put T-Bone away for life, the prosecutor and Phoenix police
procured false witnesses against him, but the jury saw right through the lies. Before
trial, the prosecutor had warned T-Bone that he needed to sign a plea bargain
admitting guilt, and that if he did not and he lost at trial, the prosecutor
would ask the judge for a 145 year maximum sentence. T-Bone’s own lawyer, a
public defender appointed by the State of Arizona, urged T-Bone to admit guilt
and sign a plea bargain for a shorter sentence. Unwilling to admit to crimes
that he hadn’t committed and praying to God for a miracle, T-Bone managed to
win at trial even with all of the odds stacked against him by the crooked state
of Arizona. T-Bone has one minor charge remaining, which wasn’t filed by the
police in the amount of time legally required, so it looks like that charge may
be dismissed.
My book Prison Time includes how I met T-Bone
Shaun Attwood
London School Visits
A few days ago, I was doing a talk in London.
The bell rang. I still had 10 copies of Hard Time 2nd Ed to give away, so I
said anyone who comes to my table and asks a question will get a book. One
hundred students stampeded, almost knocking my table over and my bottle of
water went flying. In a frenzy of arms and hands, the books were snatched up. I
had to laugh.
Royal Grammar School, Guildford Visit
Click here for questions I answered for Nat Geo
Download my jail book, Hard Time, for FREE
Shaun Attwood
Question Time
I thank Jaideep in India for these questions:
Please share some of the best memories of your childhood?
Going for walks with my dad in the English countryside. I’d climb trees, investigate ponds and be amazed by the sight of fish, frogs and toads. I’d be horrified by leeches.
Tell me about your education?
As a teenager, I was equally interested in the stock market and computer programming. That’s why at college I did A level mathematics, physics and economics. I hedged my bets, so that my career could go in either direction. In the end, my interest in the stock market won out. At Liverpool University, I earned a degree in business studies.
What career did you plan during your education days?
Living in a small chemical-manufacturing town, I dreamt of making a fortune in the stock market and living in America, where everything seemed to be so much bigger than what I was used to: the roads, houses, cars…
What languages can you speak and write?
A little Spanish. A tiny amount of Chinese, as I studied Mandarin in prison.
What is your biggest source of inspiration in life?
On the road of life, I met many great people who have inspired me. They range from my family to certain prisoners, some of whom had committed serious crimes, but who protected me out of the blue when I was in danger. For example, Two Tonys, an Italian Mafia associate serving 112 years for killing rival gangsters. He protected me and also introduced me to his favourite book: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, a novel by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. The book taught me to appreciate the small things in life, so that I don’t go looking for excitement in the wrong places, which I detail in this video:
Incarcerated, I read over 1000 books in just under six years, including many original texts in psychology and philosophy. I was inspired by great philosophers such as Plato and Marcus Aurelius. Meditations by Aurelius mentions standing strong even when life is throwing its worst at us, which is particularly inspirational for prisoners.
Marcus Aurelius — 'Be like the cliff against which the waves continually break; but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it.'
I used this quote at the beginning of my book Prison Time.
Click here for the previous Question Time
Click here for questions I answered for Nat Geo
Download my jail book, Hard Time, for FREE
Shaun Attwood
Please share some of the best memories of your childhood?
Going for walks with my dad in the English countryside. I’d climb trees, investigate ponds and be amazed by the sight of fish, frogs and toads. I’d be horrified by leeches.
Tell me about your education?
As a teenager, I was equally interested in the stock market and computer programming. That’s why at college I did A level mathematics, physics and economics. I hedged my bets, so that my career could go in either direction. In the end, my interest in the stock market won out. At Liverpool University, I earned a degree in business studies.
What career did you plan during your education days?
Living in a small chemical-manufacturing town, I dreamt of making a fortune in the stock market and living in America, where everything seemed to be so much bigger than what I was used to: the roads, houses, cars…
What languages can you speak and write?
A little Spanish. A tiny amount of Chinese, as I studied Mandarin in prison.
What is your biggest source of inspiration in life?
On the road of life, I met many great people who have inspired me. They range from my family to certain prisoners, some of whom had committed serious crimes, but who protected me out of the blue when I was in danger. For example, Two Tonys, an Italian Mafia associate serving 112 years for killing rival gangsters. He protected me and also introduced me to his favourite book: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, a novel by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. The book taught me to appreciate the small things in life, so that I don’t go looking for excitement in the wrong places, which I detail in this video:
Incarcerated, I read over 1000 books in just under six years, including many original texts in psychology and philosophy. I was inspired by great philosophers such as Plato and Marcus Aurelius. Meditations by Aurelius mentions standing strong even when life is throwing its worst at us, which is particularly inspirational for prisoners.
Marcus Aurelius — 'Be like the cliff against which the waves continually break; but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it.'
I used this quote at the beginning of my book Prison Time.
Click here for the previous Question Time
Click here for questions I answered for Nat Geo
Download my jail book, Hard Time, for FREE
Shaun Attwood
From T-Bone (Letter 37)
T-Bone is a massively-built spiritual ex-Marine, who uses fighting skills to stop prison rape. T-Bone’s latest letter:
Brother Shaun, I really appreciate the
Christmas money you and your blog readers sent that is enabling me to eat. Thank
you to everyone for their help and kindness. I know that it’s godsent.
A young white man in here was hungry. He
didn’t have anything to eat, so he asked a black guy if he could clean his cell
for something to eat. All hell broke loose. Some white gang members jumped the
young guy. He’s walking around with black eyes, all because he tried to scrape
some money together to get something to eat.
I gave him some food. He has people on
the streets who will send him money. I hate that he got jumped because he had
no food, and he wanted to clean a guy’s cell who is black. It is so sad.
Sheriff
Joe Arpaio feeds the people here worse than they do at Gitmo, where they at
least get fresh food three times a day. I’ve tried to figure out Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Does he get off on pain and suffering, causing people to fight for food and
just being mean and nasty?
There has been fights all over the place,
mostly over food or drug debts or a racial issue of some kind. In court, people
are signing their lives away, just so they can get out of here and into the
prison system.
A gang banger in here with me is making
unnecessary noise, so I’ll talk to you later, if you know what I mean.
Peace in 2015!
T-Bone
My book Prison Time includes how I met T-Bone
Shaun Attwood
Christmas in Prison
Merry Xmas 2014! A big thank you for your support and for supporting my prison friends. I hope to publish the life story of Two Tonys in 2015, a Mafia associate who protected me in prison. Here's my last Xmas conversation with Two Tonys in prison: http://jonsjailjournal.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=two+tonys+christmas
Two Tonys taught me to appreciate life and the small things:
Download my jail book, Hard Time, for FREE
Shaun Attwood
Prison Interview Shaun Attwood (Dec 2014)
Download my jail book, Hard Time, for FREE, using any of the 5 links below:
UKKindle USAKindle iTunes Kobo Smashwords (download to any computer, phone or device)
Shaun Attwood
Today I was delighted to wake up to this email from a guy who credits reading Hard Time for helping him recover from drugs:
Hi Shaun,
I just wanted to send you a message to say thank you. I was in a pretty dark place with drugs a few years ago and u came to visit my girlfriends school in bath. She got a signed book from u and have it to me for my birthday (she didn't quite know the extent of the hole I was in, I'd all but shut her out my life to keep her from it). I read hard time and it changed my life. Your books were the help I was too scared to ask anyone else for. I am terrified to even think we're I would be without u. What ur doing is amazing and u are the strongest man I know Shaun. I gave the book to my friends who were in the same situation as me and nearly all of them have pulled through and we are now doing absolutely brilliantly.
So once again thank you, I will never be able to say it enough.
Shaun xx
Download my jail book, Hard Time, for FREE, using any of the 5 links below:
UKKindle USAKindle iTunes Kobo Smashwords (download to any computer, phone or device)
Shaun Attwood
Hi Shaun,
I just wanted to send you a message to say thank you. I was in a pretty dark place with drugs a few years ago and u came to visit my girlfriends school in bath. She got a signed book from u and have it to me for my birthday (she didn't quite know the extent of the hole I was in, I'd all but shut her out my life to keep her from it). I read hard time and it changed my life. Your books were the help I was too scared to ask anyone else for. I am terrified to even think we're I would be without u. What ur doing is amazing and u are the strongest man I know Shaun. I gave the book to my friends who were in the same situation as me and nearly all of them have pulled through and we are now doing absolutely brilliantly.
So once again thank you, I will never be able to say it enough.
Shaun xx
Download my jail book, Hard Time, for FREE, using any of the 5 links below:
UKKindle USAKindle iTunes Kobo Smashwords (download to any computer, phone or device)
Shaun Attwood
Importance of Books in Prison
In the spirit of what I've said in this video, I'm now donating all of the proceeds from my books to help prisoners, prison charities and students in state schools get free books.
Download my jail book, Hard Time, for FREE, using the 5 links below:
UKKindle USAKindle iTunes Kobo Smashwords (download to any computer, phone or device)
Shaun Attwood
Prison Tattoos: What Teardrop Means In Jail
Download my jail book, Hard Time, for FREE, using the 5 links below:
UKKindleUSAKindleiTunes KoboSmashwords (download to any computer, phone or device)
Shaun Attwood
From T-Bone (Letter 36)
T-Bone is a massively-built spiritual ex-Marine, who uses fighting skills to stop prison rape. T-Bone’s latest letter:
There’s a guy in here called Ted, who
got himself some crystal meth, and, man, is that stuff poison. He was walking
around with his jaw going from side to side, and when he did sit, he couldn’t keep
his legs still.
“Why are you doing that stuff?” I asked
Ted.
“I have nothing else to do,” he said.
“You have a fleshly mind-set,” I said. “I
know because I’ve been there.”
Ted wanted to buy pain medication to
snort. He sent a youngster to sick call to try to obtain some. The youngster
managed to get the meds, but kept them to himself.
“T-Bone, I need your help with the
youngster,” Ted said. He had seen me stand up for the weaker guys who were trying
to change.
“Duh,” I said.
“Everyone is ripping me off,” Ted said.
“Stop.”
“Stop what?”
“Doing dope, you dummy. If you make the
effort to change, God will take care of the rest.”
He didn’t listen. Some guys went into
his cell and beat Ted up and took his dope.
Download my jail book, Hard Time, for FREE, using the 5 links below:
UK Kindle USA Kindle iTunes KoboSmashwords (download to any computer, phone or device)
UK Kindle USA Kindle iTunes KoboSmashwords (download to any computer, phone or device)
My book Prison Time includes how I met T-Bone
Video describing the time I spent in supermax security prison
Download my jail book, Hard Time, for FREE, using the 5 links below:
UKKindle USAKindle iTunes Kobo Smashwords (download to any computer, phone or device)
Shaun Attwood
Part 3: Shaun Attwood Prison Q&A Nov 2014
Download my jail book, Hard Time, for FREE, using the 5 links below:
UK Kindle USA Kindle iTunes Kobo Smashwords (download to any computer, phone or device)
From T-Bone (Letter 35)
T-Bone is a massively-built spiritual ex-Marine, who uses fighting skills to stop prison rape. T-Bone’s latest letter:
This is for all of the people out there
who think drugs are cool. They put a guy in with me who was thin-in-the-wind skinny,
as thin as an AIDS patient who is about to die. He was extremely sick coming
off heroin, which in here has various names such as boy, black, Mexican mud and
China white. I call it poison.
Right in front of me, the guy jumped up
and started to puke. He pulled down his pants and crapped as he was puking. It
was nasty. I couldn’t believe that I was looking at a man’s guts hanging out of
his butt hole.
I told him I was getting him some help.
“They won’t do anything,” he said.
“I am a man of God,” I said.
I told the guards. They came and got him
out of here.
There’s a big surge of heroin here in
the States that has people sick all over the place. What heroin does to people
is unreal. Him and people like him are hurting in a way that is inhuman. It
takes an empty person to sell heroin to anyone. Heroin had reduced him to
resembling a poor soul in a World War II death camp.
Steel embrace,
T-Bone
My book Prison Time includes how I met T-Bone
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