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| Grass by Mark Whiteley |
When I was 20, I witnessed an
horrific beating in a pub in Nottingham.
Two young, alcohol fuelled, angry men on a Friday night out, I knew both
the victim and the perpetrator. What
followed was one of the scariest times in my life. I was threatened, stalked
and even arrested.
After the fight I was asked
by the Police Officer what I’d seen, we all know what can happen to a grass on
the council estates of England. What
would you do? I did what I thought was
right and decent and ultimately, I ended up paying a high price for being a
snitch.
Before the Crown Court case I
was regularly visited by gang members wanting to know “what I was going to say”
in court, under oath. As the date loomed
I didn’t know where to turn or what to do, so on the morning of the case I ran
away. Of course as a 48 year old I look
back on that ridiculous decision with mature eyes, but I was caught between a
rock and a hard place.
On the run from the Police
and living on friend’s sofas I battled between my conscience and my fear for my
safety. In the end, Iaughably, I was “on
the run” for just three nights. I had a chance meeting with an old lady on a
park bench, who had far more life experience than I did at that time. She listened and told me about her brother, a conscientious objector, who ran
away for six months during WW2 then bravely returned to face the music.
The next day I walked into
Nottingham Crown Court and was arrested for Contempt on entry. I gave evidence and the accused was found
guilty and given 12 months, suspended for 12 months. I left Nottingham pretty soon after that.
25 years later and the ghosts
of my past are back. GRASS is a new British
crime drama from award winning Manchester theatre company HARD GRAFT.
Venue - KAVA 17 - 21 Mumps, Oldham, OL1
3TL
Tickets from £6*
Dates 30th Sept. - 17th October 2015
Time 7.30pm
Tickets from £6*
Dates 30th Sept. - 17th October 2015
Time 7.30pm
*£6 preview tickets on the
30th September
