Pubdate: Sat, 24 Aug 2002
Source: East Anglian Daily Times (UK)
Copyright: 2002 Eastern Counties Newspapers Group Ltd
Contact:  http://www.eadt.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/913

NEALE HAD 'NO SHAME AND NO CONSCIENCE'

SHAMED Jimmy Neale's former father-in-law last night described him as 
having "no heart and no conscience.

Gordon Chatten from Harleston, Norfolk, said: "People who supply drugs 
should be put away because they ruin people's lives. They only care about 
making money. It is despicable."

He said he could feel no sympathy about Neale's threatened life sentence.

"As far as I am concerned he will get what he deserves, I can't be sympathetic.

"The trouble with Jimmy was he was always after the big money. He had the 
world at his feet but it was never enough.

"He was greedy, and even when he had everything going for him he went for 
bigger money and lost it all."

Mr Chatten said his former son-in-law was initially "willing to be conned" 
and first got into trouble after lending clients' money to someone else.

"Apparently someone wanted to borrow money and would pay him back quite 
handsome amounts, but they asked for UKP1million of his clients' money and 
never paid him back.

"He got dropped in it and was struck off by the Law Society."

Mr Chatten said he had lent Neale more than UKP6,000 himself but he did not 
pay him back.

Jack Woods , who knew the Neales when they first married and remained close 
to Rosemary up until her death, said Jimmy was "easily led."

He said: "He never did anything by halves. I never considered him to be a 
crook as such, he was easily led but he never seemed to be successful in 
it. (the crime)

"When he got in trouble before he was being led by the nose. He was a man 
who threw away a good life for no reason, except the lure of multi-millions 
as it were."

Mr Woods from Norwich, continued: "Jimmy could never be satisfied with what 
he had. It reminds me of Only Fools and Horses when they would say 'by next 
year we will be millionaires.'

"When he was in Colchester he had the world at his feet but that was not 
enough.

"The trouble was he thought there was this big pot of gold at the end of 
the rainbow, but if course there wasn't. He always wanted a fast way of 
getting things."

However Mr Woods said he did not think Neale deserved a life sentence for 
his latest crime.

"My knowledge of him is that he is not the sort of chap who deserves a life 
sentence when you compare that to what other criminals get.

"He was a very likeable chap but the family became a very sad disaster with 
one thing and another, it is a terrible story.

"Although people do go abroad and think they can do what they like, whether 
it is in Australia, South Africa or wherever, but when you are in a foreign 
country you have got to respect their laws."
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MAP posted-by: Beth