How the Crazy Face Gang terrorised Manchester before its ring leaders turned supergrass

Fred Scott and Lenny Pilot, infamous in late 70s and early 80s Manchester, were the notorious duo behind the Crazy Face Gang, named for their eerie Halloween masks. Armed with sawn-off shotguns, they led a surge in armed robberies, increasing such crimes fourfold in the region and sparking a major response from Chief Constable James Anderton, who implemented round-the-clock armed patrols. Their meticulously planned heists, including a botched raid on a security van, saw them net over £300,000 before luck turned. After a final robbery in 1982 led to their arrest, both were sentenced to 10 years in prison. However, in a twist, Scott became a supergrass, revealing details about various robberies to police, resulting in significant arrests and longer sentences for many criminals. Their testimony helped dismantle much of Manchester’s criminal elite, but as crime journalist Peter Walsh notes, it merely paved the way for a new generation of gangsters, leading to even more intense gun crime in the following years.

Read the full article at Manchester Evening News