Gypsy Jane - I've Been Shot Four Times and Served Three Prison Terms?This is the Incredible Story of by Jane Lee Page B

day and, while I was in my room, I could hear a commotion outside and then Matt burst in. He looked really worried. But he was angry too. ‘What’s happened?’ he asked, looking at my hand and all the tubes and drips I was linked to. So I started with the whole story. Before I could say anything to stop him he reacted by going mad and he began throwing police officers down the corridor.
    ‘You shot my missus!’ he screamed and the police were terrified. He was a very powerful man and had brought a firm with him. Believe me, they made their presence known. I think the cops must have thought Matt was going to try to spring me from the hospital or something because they had called in the army to guard me. There were police and soldiers on the roof, in the corridors, right outside my room. There must have been 20 in the corridor alone. Police dogs patrolled outside and they had put security checks in place a mile around the hospital. If you came to the hospital, you were treated like a terrorist, partly because I was a dangerous criminal and partly because they reckoned Matt was planning an escape for me.
    But a couple of days later I got a message saying Matt had been shot. I couldn’t believe it. I had a feeling he had gone after the geezers who grassed me up. At least he was only hit in the shoulder and he was OK. I didn’t get to see him for a while but he sent me the biggest bunch of flowers I’ve ever seen and I knew he was OK.
    After being in hospital for ten days I was told I could leave. I think they were relieved to get rid of me. I mean, this was a hospital and it looked like a prisoner-of-war camp with soldiers patrolling the place. I was taken to East Ham police station and they put me in a cell with no toilet paper and a blocked bog. I wasn’t amused. I mean, I’d just got out of hospital and had three bullets taken out of me and one of them was in the groin. Thisplace was unhygienic. But I was a soldier, I told myself, and crashed out on the bunk.
    The next day they took me to be interviewed and believe me when I say I had two of their best interviewing me. I mean, these were the best of the best. They offered me a fag and asked me what I was doing waving a gun about and threatening people. So I said, ‘It was like this, officers. I went to test the guns I’d restored in the park. I know I shouldn’t have. But I was curious to see if they fired OK. Being close to bonfire night, I thought no one would take any notice and just think the sounds were fireworks.’
    ‘But you had an imitation gun as well. What was that for?’
    I said, ‘Oh, that one’s for my boy for Christmas. I was going to have a little go with that as well.’
    ‘But where did you get the bullets from?’
    ‘I made them,’ I said. I told them I was a restorer of antique guns. I thought I was doing OK.
    ‘Why did you hold up a man at gunpoint and force a whole street on the ground in fear of their lives then?’
    ‘I never held a man up at gunpoint. I asked this man for directions to Gants Hill and he said, “Let me get in and I’ll show you the way.” I said, “No way, mate, you can’t get in,” and started to drive off when he went for his satchel and said, “I’ve got something to show you.” I thought he was going for a knife or gun so I picked up my gun and said, “I’ve got something to show you,” and he runs into a group of people and I think, Oh, no, he’sa nutter and he’s going to hurt somebody. I tried to help them. I was shouting at them to be careful when I realised I’ve still got the gun in my hand and they are more scared of me than they are of him.’
    Well, there was a bit of a silence. Then one of them took a deep breath. ‘Let me get this right,’ he said. ‘You not only saved yourself but you saved the whole street as well?’
    ‘Yes,’ I said.
    ‘Well, we put it to you that you went to rob this man and you tried to involve two innocent people but they decided not go with you when they