‘I used to be Arsenal hooligan and had tear ups with rivals – however had ulterior motive’

A former London hardman pretended to be an Arsenal hooligan to boost his gang’s numbers.

Ex-bank robber and Amy Winehouse’s one-time bodyguard, James Browne, dished the dirt on his shady past during a chat on the Anything Goes with James English podcast.

The ex-con confessed to having “right tear ups” at the matches but clarified he wasn’t just any old hooligan – he had a mission in mind.

James revealed: “I wasn’t a football hooligan per se. You know, I was like… I went to the football; I was trying to recruit people. I thought this is where the tough guys were, you know.”

“So I was like an Arsenal f***ing football hooligan for about, I don’t know, less than a season. But that was enough. You know, I went to all the matches f***ing having right tear ups.”

Podcast host James English asked: “So you became a football hooligan to try and recruit bank robbers?” Browne confirmed with a blunt: “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

Browne, who reckons it “takes some f*****g b***s” to get into the robbery game, served 18 years behind bars after a security guard was shot dead during one of his heists.

He recounted how one job involving a black cab as the getaway ride went “completely wrong”.

On another podcast with Dodge Woodall, Browne talked about hitting not just banks but also security vans and even University College Hospital back in the early 80s, which he said was “one of the hardest”.

In 2014, the Mail reported that Browne won £108,491 in damages following an assault by police officers at a convenience store following a night out with comedian Noel Fielding from the Mighty Boosh.

The court determined that Browne had his leg crushed during a failed arrest attempt, causing a “handicap on the labour market”. Browne was recognised as a “close protection security guard”.