John McVicar

John McVicar at a press conference for the movie after the book McVicar by Himself (11 March 1981)

John McVicar (born 1940) is a British journalist and convicted one-time armed robber who escaped from prison.

Career

As criminal

In the 1960s, he was an armed robber who was tagged "Public Enemy No. 1" by Scotland Yard. He was apprehended and given a 23-year prison sentence. He escaped from prison on several occasions and after his final re-arrest in 1970 he was given a sentence of 26 years. He was paroled in 1978.

As journalist

Telling his story

After his parole, McVicar wrote his autobiography, McVicar by Himself, and scripted the 1980 biographical film McVicar, which starred The Who's lead singer Roger Daltrey in the title role and co-starred Adam Faith. Also after his release from prison, he studied for a postgraduate degree at the University of Leicester.

Christie v. McVicar

In 1998, McVicar lost a libel action brought by sprinter Linford Christie over his claim that Christie was a "steroid athlete." But though he had lost the defamation case, McVicar was eventually vindicated when, six months later, Christie's track career was ruined by his receiving a two-year ban for taking a performance-enhancing substance.

The Jill Dando murder

In 2002, McVicar published a book about the Jill Dando murder, Dead On Time. In it, McVicar paints Barry George as a sophisticated liar, trying to appear too stupid to carry out a difficult mission. The book appeared after George's first appeal was rejected. (The conviction was overturned in 2008, and George was released.) McVicar subsequently wrote Who Killed Jill? You Decide, in which he examines the British jury system. This second book is purged of the chapters recounting 'personal experiences' which McVicar claims were the product of poetic licence for the most part.

Personal life

McVicar and his wife have a base in London, but travel widely.

See also

• McVicar (film)
• Durham (HM Prison)