Annons
Annons
A number of studies have been carried out into the relationship between Asperger's syndrome and crime. Experts have failed to agree on whether or not people with the disorder are more likely to commit crimes than anyone else, but most suggest it may affect how crimes they do commit are carried out.When I raise this, Jackley says that his Asperger's played a role in his decision to go ahead with the robberies, "insofar as my inability to understand the effects of my actions upon others". However, it seems that a desire to be viewed in a heroic light had an equally significant part to play."I wanted to donate at least 60 percent to homeless people and charity," says Jackley. "I saw myself as a Robin Hood figure, which I used to justify what I did. Altogether, I donated around £2,000 [€2,600 EUR] to charity, which doesn't sound a lot, but my intention was to donate more. I also gave to homeless people. This is going to sound crazy, but I marked the notes with an 'RH'."Unfortunately for Jackley, on one job he actually ended up doing the exact opposite of what he'd set out to achieve. "On one occasion, I burgled a premises and it turned out to be a charity office, which I hadn't realised at the time. That was a nightmare. I gave them incremental sums, starting with £250 [€320 EUR] and eventually going up to £750 [€970 EUR]," he says. "I was going to keep increasing the amount until I reached about £20,000 [€25,800 EUR]."READ ON BROADLY: Did Big Pharma Create the Herpes Stigma for Profit?
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WATCH: We Visited a Maximum Security Prison That's Rehabilitating Criminals
In 2009, aged 23, Jackley was deported to the UK and charged at Worcester Crown Court with 21 different offences, including robbery, attempted robbery and firearms possession. He pleaded guilty to 18 charges and was sentenced to 13 years in jail, a sentence that was appealed and later shortened to 12 years after judges at London's Criminal Appeal Court said his Asperger's syndrome may have caused his "awareness of the consequences of his actions – and therefore his culpability – [to have] been significantly impaired".Jackley was released in 2014, and with the help of The Prince's Trust has since set up the publishing company Arkbound and founded the magazine Boundless, which focuses on sustainable living and social inclusion.Speaking to him now, it's clear he's neither the deluded menace the press made him out to be, nor a man who still believes he's an anti-capitalist crusader who has to commit crimes to somehow tackle economic disparity. He says life since being released from prison has been "difficult and enlightening", but there's no doubt he's trying to make amends for what he's done in the past. The Robin Hood days are long behind him. Now, he's doing his bit to address inequality with words, not hammers.
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