TONY Gooch turned his back on crime and violence to make documentaries and help keep youngsters out of prison.
Here we look at his life, why he went to prison and what he’s up to now.
Instagram/@officialtonygoochpageTony Gooch founded the Think First Campaign[/caption]
Who is Tony Gooch?
Anthony Gooch was born on May 12, 1983, in London.
Gooch took to crime at a young age and was excluded from five secondary schools, as well as being sentenced to numerous custodial sentences in various young offender institutes.
In a criminal career spanning 17 years, Tony built up relationships with criminal gangs across the UK.
After serving nearly nine years in prison he decided to turn his life around and has since launched the Think First Campaign, which aims to educate children about the dangers of a life of crime, encouraging them to make better life choices and stay in education to achieve their goals.
Speaking about the British prison system, Tony said: “Probation is just an absolute waste of time and I don’t think there’s enough support for young offenders.
“We’ve got one of the highest reoffending rates in Europe.
“You can’t help everyone, but I do believe that a large proportion of young offenders we could be helping.
“We’re doing nothing for them and it’s costing the tax-payer £35-40,000 per prisoner a year.
“At the minute we’re at an all-time high on prisoners, so how much money are we wasting? It’s ridiculous!”
Gooch set up a production company — A.R.T Productions — which makes documentaries about subjects ranging from mental health and eating disorders to traveller communities.
He has appeared on a number of podcasts and programmes on social media platforms, which have amassed nearly 750,000 views according to IMDb.
Tony was also an MMA fighter for nine years, so he certainly has more than a few strings to his bow.
The former HMP Bullingdon inmate was one of the most talked-about stars of ITV‘s Inside Prison: Britain Behind Bars, which first aired in 2019.
Why did Tony Gooch go to prison?
Tony has appeared on a variety of TV shows and documentaries and is happy to speak about how to avoid a life of crime.
But he has kept tight-lipped about why he was in prison, and information is limited.
When Gooch was on Britain Behind Bars he was on remand for armed robbery, but all of the charges were later dropped, reports the Daily Mail.
Other than that, it is not entirely clear why he spent almost nine years in prison.
Is Tony Gooch on Instagram?
Yes, Tony is on Instagram.
He seems to have two profiles, one with 900 followers, and the other approaching 5,000.
Gooch’s handles are @officialtonygooch and @officialtonygoochpage.
What does Tony Gooch do now?
According to his Linked In profile, as well as running his production company Tony gives talks at prisons and educational institutions to keep people out of gangs.
He writes: “I currently attend schools, colleges and universities as well as HMP prisons giving talks to young offenders about my life and experiences and deterring them from becoming involved in gangs, drugs and committing criminal offences.
“I also co-own A.R.T PRODUCTIONS bringing you the latest and most insightful documentary media and material.”
Gooch is also set to appear in Channel 4‘s Banged Up, which first airs on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, at 9.15pm.
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