To: Ben Fishwick
chris.owen@thenews.co.uk
Dolores Clarke
To: Ben Fishwick, The News Portsmouth
Chris Owen, The News Portsmouth
CC
Dave Courtney
Michael Brierley
From Dave Clarke
07411990007
2nd April 2014.
Dear Ben,
Dave Courtney pulls Out Of Borstal Boy
Dave Courtney categorically stated to me on Saturday, quite clearly, that he had withdrawn (as a Special Guest) from our Borstal Boy Project, in order to show or make me feel what spite was. He stated that I had acted out of spite when I decided not to tell his story as a punk rock opera but mine. Which is nonsense.
We reverted back to our original plan to tell my story as a first ever punk rock opera when he did not bother turning up for a very important meeting that involved the band members and several important people from Gosport who we had asked to be involved.
History
I first met Dave Courtney at a function that he was involved in at the Highlands Pub, “The Hampshire Rose”, in Fareham, shortly after I had returned from mission work in the Philippines in 2004.
I was interested in Dave Courtney because one person who I was trying to help ( A recidivist) turn his life around from crime had informed me that Dave was speaking at our local venue, The Hampshire Rose”. I had never met or heard of him until then. I learned that he had written his book “Stop The Ride I Want to get Off”, , which suggested to me he had turned his back on crime as it did not pay as once you got caught you have a criminal record and puts you in the headlines and its not so easy to get away with things.
My Mission Work
My work in the Philippines was working with notorious criminals within New Bilibid Prison, the largest Prison in Asia’s far East. These were prisoners who like my brother who was serving a 16 year prison sentence for a crime of promoting Child Prostitution, had turned their lives around through responding to the gospel of Christ.
My brother Michael and I had worked with prison inmates and religious volunteers within the prison since 2001, seeking to help others turned there lives around in the same way as Michael and I and we had seen it work first hand . Dave Courtney’s past history as a criminal came as no shock to me as we had worked with many convoked criminals in the Philippine 22 of which were on Death Row and a further 44 in the National Penitentiary in New Bilibid Prison all of their life stories have been publish in our book that was specially written to help others like Dave Courtney. Here is an example of just one of many http://youtu.be/iEx8bH8402U.
We registered a none profit our none stock incorporation in the Philippines called Trojan Horse International (Trojan Horse International (TULIP) Phils. Incorporated
(http://www.trojanhorseinternational.com/articles-of-incorporation.php),
in order to enhance the work that we were doing, not only in New Bilibid prison but all the jails of the Philippines and abroad ( there are some 700 prisons in the Philippines example http://youtu.be/M5986xMWZ70 in the Philippines.
See also http://youtu.be/7V3OhkJClF8
We also formed the first ever ( as far as we know) Teacher Training College, in the world, within New Bilibid Prison, the national Penitentiary a Maximum Security prison, in order to help further the gospel of Christ. The news which had worked in our own lives and many of Asia’s most notorious criminals, in the Philippines. Some of their life stories are told in our book “Trojan Warrior’s” (http://www.biertonparticularbaptists.co.uk/resources/TrojanWarriors.html) a copy of which I personally gave to Dave Courtney when I first met him.
Dave Courtney said he would help me in my mission work and on several occasions has done so he even acted as a Mackenzie friend when I took the Portsmouth County Council to Court and won my case in 2005. (See http://youtu.be/7JkQ0mYLKS4 this is in four parts 1, 2 , 3 and 4)
When i realized I needed to tell our story another way I asked Mick Fisher, of the Asylum Seekers, to work with me and turn our story into a punk rock opera and they agreed as you are aware.
It was my idea to promote The Asylum Seekers first of all to get them known out side of Gosport. So I suggested the instead of doing my story lets as some one famous to do a Punk Rock Opera about their life as then that would promote the Band and the person.
Caroline Dinenage MP for Gosport turned down our request to tell her story as a punk rock opera and so Dave Courtney was asked. He readily agreed.
Mick Fisher worked hard on the project and visited Mr Courtney at his home, at Camelot Castle in Plumstead, a number of times.
Mick Fisher had drafted and recorded 12 draft tracks and lyrics for Dave Courtney’s story, to be performed as a Punk Rock Opera, and it was arrange for Dave Courtney to visit us at Fareham to see the progress and discuss the things that needed to be done. We needed to discuss many things and we had spent many hundreds of pounds on the project so far.
Dave Courtney did not show up to that meeting dispute many assurances, neither did he call, even though we sought his whereabouts, nor did he call the next day, or any other time afterwards, to say why he had not come.
We were left high and dry, he had not only let him self down, but the band and all who had set aside their time to see him. I felt so let down after all the work we had put into the project. I informed Mick Fisher that I was not prepared to work with him on the project if Dave Courtney could not be bothered. It would be like trying to rob a Post Office and relying on Dave Courtney to steal a get away car but at the point of get away he here tired up as he was busy enjoying him self elsewhere. We were let down. I stated that I would help the band to continue with the project if they wanted to finish the work already half don, but I would work in the background so to speak. How ever they would have to negotiate a way forward with Mr Courtney himself - not via me.
I text Mr Courtney stating if he wanted to talk to me he must do so directly with Mick Fisher or by a third party, a villain friend of mine from Aylesbury and gave him his number. Mr Courtney did not communicate or contact Mick Fisher or any one and so I concluded Mr Courtney by his own actions had withdrawn from the project with out giving a reason. It was this action that Dave Courtney took exemption to as he believed I had acted to spite him personally, which is nonsense.
I sought to keep Dave Courtney informed of our new project, “Borstal Boy” my story as a Punk Rock Opera , via Facebook and e mails. Dave eventually, months later, once we had secured our booking at Kings Theatre, rang me and told me his gripe with me. He felt I had let him down but offered to help me despite what had happened.
He could not see or accept that I was legitimately upset with him for letting the boys down. He stated that I had dropped him from the project out of spite, in telling my story instead of him, as a punk rock musical.
Never the less he said he would still help me and assist in any way I wanted.
It was finally agreed he would introduce the show and take part in the opera at Kings and arrive with scooter and bike riders, organized by Michael Brierley. Michael Brierley is the co ordinate or founder of South Coast Scooter (https://www.facebook.com/groups/southcoastscooteralliance/?fref=ts) who was going to co ordinate at least 200 riders, from several scooter and biker clubs from Gosport, Portsmouth, Fareham and Southampton, to come in convoy, from Cosham to Kings, on the 26th April with Dave Courtney leading the ride, to support our Punk Rock Opera.
Two weeks ago Mr Courtney contacted Michael Brierley on his number 07412060094 as I thought was to discuss the event and then he informed me that he had done so. I then got a Facebook message from Michael Brierley stating that he had pulled out of the arranged scooter and bike convoy for reasons he was not prepared to say and beside he was too busy. Word soon spread on Face book with people asking what was wrong with the Borstal Boy project and ride ? ANd to this day no explanation has been given until I visited Dave Courtney myself and got to the bottom of things.
So I went to See Dave Courtney at his home in Plumstead and he told me he was going to make sure that our Punk Rock Opera would fail. He was going to make me feel what spite really was, and ah he would be contacting the Kink’s Theatre and all media to ruin our project.
I understood he was upset and apologized to him for what ever it was that i had down to cause him distress. When he insisted he was out to damage our project and the bands reputation I took the matter in my stride and called you from my phone, on the spot, and as you know he then spoke to you and told you what he said.
Yours Sincerely in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
David Clarke
Dave Courtney’s number 07438 096464
PS We (the Cast and I) have a radio interview on Monday 7th April at 1.45 PM with Terry Powell of Express Fm who will be asking us all about our project and of course Mr Dave Courtney could call the studio on Studio - 02392 779922 to answer this letter to you for himself.
Express FM