The Review of The Man Behind the Mask book

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As promised we will review the book in detail.

One could be forgiven for jumping straight in at chapter one, but that would omit the contribution from Lyn Rigby and her strange association with Thornley.

What may be odd to most people, but not to me is the way she has firmly nailed her flag to the mast so to speak, that's all well and good until the cracks appear, and sure as eggs are eggs they will.

Who is Lyn Rigby? She is the mother of Lee Rigby and co founder of the Lee Rigby Foundation now known as the Lee Rigby KN Foundation. Clearly a subtle takeover of the original foundation. I say this as the Facebook entries are dominated by KN (Kendo Nagasaki), as are the trustees.

Lyn Rigby is and has been totally obsessed with the MoD's lack of attention to her, fancy that giving all the attention to Lee Rigby's wife and son, how disgusting. Lyn Rigby herself has turned her back on Lee Rigby's wife and son Jack, even refusing to speak of them. But when you are in awe of a 'super star' what can you expect?

It is my intention to include all my communication with Lyn Rigby, letters and emails and of course her replies, and how she was prepared to use these innocent and caring messages against me. Talk about being stabbed in the back, but what's one more knife I've got a broad back she can stick it with all the other knives.

Back to the review

A man named Norman Morrell is mentioned om page 173 and various other pages. Morrell could have been the influence or cause of Thornley's MO. Morrell's ability to empower or dis empower people. Such as authority, lets take for instance the local police.

Victim or Villain?

Thornley may have got this antic from Norman Morrell (P173 etc), good at divide and conquer and empowering people - empowering, where have I heard that before?

This is something that intrigued me in the beginning, especially his way of getting people on side, pretending to be the victim when all along he was the villain.

For example, how did he always get the police on his side? Well consider this little story.

Shortly after Thornley exposed his real intentions for Moorcourt , I had a meeting with Ron Locker, a councillor from Cheadle. At the time Locker was involved in the SPACE programme run by Staffordshire Police. As such he [Locker] was in close contact with 2 senior officers from Leek division, a Superintendant whose name I cannot remember and a Chief Inspector named David Smith,

Locker had told me that the police were building up a dossier on Thornley and would like me to offer anything that I knew about Thornley.

Following several meetings usually with CI Smith my wife and I noticed that Smith was always on the defensive regarding Thornley, and as things progressed Smiths attitude hardened towards us.

What became apparent was that Smith lived in Oakamoor, but never let on. Then we started to get visits from the police following unfounded complaints from Thornley, harassing us, usually at evenings or weekends.

One evening at about 8.30 pm we were visited by a PC Paul Bolam. He had with him another officer but he remained silent throughout. Bolam said that following a complaint from Thornley, CI Smith had sent him [Bolam} to interview me. Bolam had with him a handwritten instruction from Smith, containing foul language. I had to ask Bolam to desist from repeating the foul four letter words whilst my 4 year old grand daughter was present.

He continued to use this language saying that ‘Mr Smith is not going to stand for it’. I had warned Bolam about his repetitions, but he ignored me. I asked him to leave but he refused, so, using reasonable force I threw him off our property.

Since then we have had several incidents instigated by Thornley, one in particular was when I had a mobile telephone call - which my wife answered - from a woman asking for me.

My wife said that she could answer anything to do with me, but the woman said that it was a ‘personal call’. Later that day she rang again this time my son answered the call, the same dialogue as before.

That evening the woman rang again this time I answered the call she now announced herself as PC Bridget Kelly of Waterhouses police office.
She said that she wanted to interview me, but declined to say what about. I knew that there was nothing to speak to her about and that I had not committed any crime, so I politely declined her offer.

Her reply was “then we will deal with you another way”.

A few days later I received by registered post an HN1 harassment notice. The notice said that I had offended Mr Thornley, causing him alarm and distress. However when asked for details they neither they [the police] nor Thornley were able to assist.

Just to explain an HN1 is a notice that if I were to get into some sort of trouble which warranted police intervention they could bring the matter of the HN1 to the attention of the prosecutor. It also means that there is a black mark against your name, although the coppers will tell you different and that it is quite insignificant - they are lying.

If anyone wants to know how I effectively dealt with the HN1 please get in touch.

Also see ‘Our Wonderful Police’ on this site, topic ‘Never Sign HN1’.

For the next 3 weeks we had nightly visits from the police but unfortunately for them we had prior knowledge of the planned secret visits, so we became ‘unavailable’.

Now back to CI David Smith. The Superintendant was replaced by another Superintendant named Norma Cartwright. On our final visit to Leek police office we met Norma Cartwright, she apologised for being late for the meeting, saying that she had been delayed whilst reading the ‘file’. She promptly threw the file on the desk in front of Smith and looking at my wife and I, said “he wants you out, doesn’t he” referring to Thornley.

Smith (as usual) quickly jumped to Thornley’s defence saying that that wasn’t the case. How did he know? But Norma Cartwright insisted that she was correct. What she was referring to was the fact that Thornley’s MO was to cause people sufficient stress to want to sell up and go. He would then pick up the property on the cheap. She had summed up the situation and was spot on. Following this meeting Superintendant Cartwright was promptly replaced.

Another example of Smiths’s defensiveness occurred when we told him that we were about to install CCTV cameras around our house, he insisted that we only install ‘overt’ equipment, thereby reducing our chances of catching the culprits in the act of setting us up.

As previously said, we found out that Smith lived in Oakamoor and was a lay preacher at the Oakamoor Memorial Free Church on Carr Bank.
Although a devout Buddhist, Thornley had connections with the church (trustee?). The Memorial Free church was built by the same family as Moorcourt Hall the Bolton family.

Several years later we found out that the dossier was in fact on me, not Thornley and would be used against me in an aborted action.

To conclude, establish yourself as the victim and the person of interest becomes the villain, good trick, worn thin now.

Moorcourt

I have now completed the strenuous task of reading this book. Strenuous due to my own dyslexia, and also because of the frustration felt due to the lack of resemblance to the subject of the book itself. I will not dwell on what has already been widely said regarding the authenticity of the writer, nor the writing style, save to say that anyone who is dyslexic may need help with reading and writing, especially some of the topics that ‘they’, the writers, cover. Therefore I will get straight to crucial points.

Firstly, his current lair is Moorcourt Hall, see page 442. A disappointing section as it wraps up 30 years in just a few pages. The truth can be unpleasant whereas the lack of it is misleading. Like everything that should matter and does matter regarding this character, these topics are skirted over at best or completely ignored. Although I realise that the short mention of Moor Court is really because all the juicy (negative) bits are omitted. For instance:

The wilful damage to property (County Court Judgement re East Lodge), alleged assault of an occupant of the Coach House, numerous false Boundary claims, multiple breach’s of covenants and misleading information. There is also the perennial question – What happened to Tommy’s cat?

One incident of note is when Loz Stevens threatened both my wife and my son with a krooklock after a criticism of his speeding on to the estate. This incident was then followed up with a strong arm intimidation visit from Thornley and several of his ‘men’ to my teenage son. Unbeknown to all of them, a group of bricklayers were building a new retaining wall for me in the garden and could not be seen because of the garden fence, they heard it all. I contacted Thornley by telephone regarding what had happened and Thornley had to apologise, and yes, I still have the conversation on tape.

Savile and the two sides/personalities of Thornley

He says this about Savile (p.392) “I never met him”. Is the quote incomplete? To complete the sentence we could add, “whilst he [Savile] was at Moorcourt”. As we are dealing with two sides of Thornley, could it be that it was Kendo who did meet him [Savile] and not Thornley or vice versa? Or is the ghost writer being honest?

Perhaps someone reading this could enlighten us further?

Despite being observed from a distance, it is not too difficult to form an opinion about Thornley and what really makes him the way he is, and, like the moon, both have a dark side.

The book has been helpful in determining titles to express his make up, based on tales he supposedly recounts in early chapters. The book summarises his faults and in this instance I mean his faults as he interacts with people whom he perceives to be his enemies and therefore makes them so. He then reverts to his childhood developed behaviour patterns to cope with situations.


These character flaws start very early in his life and formed his conduct in the future, both in the ring and outside of it. By way of example, he claims that in those early years, in an admission regarding dissatisfaction about playing with a cardboard train and brutally attacking a young peer. This action alone creates the picture of his way of dealing with what he wants, and that is “I wanted what I wanted and no one should stand in my way” page 19, I picture him sucking his thumb and stamping his feet, even as an adult to get his own way. The early chapters have a few examples of his violent outbursts due to jealousy and plain peevishness.

He has obviously grown up thinking the world owes him some thing, He has seen how effective being nasty can be, no matter what the situation is. The nastiness and intimidation tactics manifest in various forms, and, most commonly, primes others to do the dirty work for him.

I genuinely believe that he gets off seeing people suffer, especially when he can hide behind the mask of ‘victim’ as opposed to villain. He likes to get one over his perceived target and happy families are a distinctly favourite target it seems.

Another topic worthy of further consideration is his marriage. Such a significant juncture in his life wrapped up again in as few pages as possible. Why did he marry Yvette? She was a lonely old spinster, 32 years older at 76 to his 44 and the owner of a spacious and valuable detached property in Lambeth. Property ripe for development…

A police officer named Marion Carpenter, (see Prisoner of Kendo – News of the World) who tried to interview Yvette said that neighbours were worried about her welfare due to Kendo’s treatment of her. I spoke to PC Carpenter shortly after she retired from the Met., and though the conversation was short, she simply finished by saying this - “you don’t know what you are getting yourself into” and promptly ended the call. So what was going on? Perhaps we will never really know about that part of their lives.

Most of the foregoing is not mentioned in any detail if at all in the book. There are significant points in his life and character traits that are also not given much scrutiny.
There are so many questions that need to be answered. If they were answered, would they be incriminating? The mystery of the lost finger for example, page 101, is it his trigger finger if left handed? Given the timeframe and the loss felt by Arthur Wright about Geoff Condliffe joining up, was it to avoid conscription?

Regarding Geoff Condliffe, the author admits in a roundabout sort of way that he knew the brandy was stolen and was part of that scene, page 87. Despite being suspected of drug dealing and police raids not being able to turn anything up, he did and still does have connections with drug dealers (Steve as in Steve Tyminski) for one, as reported in the Blackpool Gazette.

As my interest in this subject is diminishing as fast as his fan base, let’s finish by saying that what we have here is a juvenile who never really grew up. He struggled from birth and he will continue to be so. He still cannot fully admit to his true sexuality, preferring instead to explain away Yvette under the banner of his alleged bisexuality. He also doesn’t acknowledge his failings as both a businessman and life partner. He can never face up to and control his dark side, his destructive nature and thirst to cause pain and suffering either physically, psychologically, or financially to others in the way of his plans and wangles.

In summary, it could be said that we have a petty criminal with low life associates and a tendency towards violence. So, apart from some wrestling anecdotes, what was this book really about?

Is it to paper over the cracks? Counter truthful argument? Damage limitation? Looking for pity? Milk the last few pounds out of nostalgic fanatics? Many people have had difficult lives and desperate beginnings, and grow up to be good people in society. What has the alleged writer given to the world? Nothing…What has the ‘author’ given to mankind – beyond pain and suffering? Not a lot…

Everything that could be said or expanded upon may have to wait for another day.

A person could be judged by what is left behind, not what they take with them.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

Carrying on from the Victim v Villain discussion.

Having read the book and studied, where possible, the subject I have to conclude and in my own honest opinion, and on my opinion only, a serious disorder exists.

Clinicians may describe Narcissistic Personalty Disorders in various ways, but ultimately agree on the main issues causing or to have caused the disorder.

Some of the symptoms:

A grandiose sense of self-importance

Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance

Belief that one is special and can only be understood by or associate with special people or institutions

A need for excessive admiration

A sense of entitlement (to special treatment)

Exploitation of others

A lack of empathy

Envy of others or the belief that one is the object of envy

Arrogant, haughty behavior or attitudes

The grain in the slate was formed in early childhood, through parenting and childhood aggression.

Growing up thinking that he is someone special, bearing superhuman skills and inherited self importance.

The never ending desire to cause pain and suffering to those who do not come to heel, hatred for happy families, and the ability to attract people who normally would have nothing to do with him.

An overwhelming ability to win support and trust from unsuspecting people who believe his fantasies, but will eventually become one of his victims.

May be ................ continued