This former army officer boldly led a coup d’état in Equatorial Guinea in 2004. He was imprisoned for 34 years but received a presidential pardon from President Teodoro Obiang Nguema in 2009. This Old Etonian’s account of the episode, Cry Havoc, is a great read and he now lives peacefully in Hampshire with his wife and seven children. Here is a top dollar chap who took the rap whilst others who were involved got off scot-free.
Category: THE BOLD AND THE DARING
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Captain Simon Mann
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Jack O'Shea
A gentleman butcher. He’s deservedly been named Butcher of the Year by The Independent and his shops in Brussels and Knightsbridge are a mecca for foodies. He took on the might of Sir Roger Moore and his campaign against foie gras by selling it from his Selfridges counter in 2011. He was ejected from the store on Christmas Eve but rightly responded to his critics with a simple one liner: “I couldn’t give a damn.” -
James Murdoch
Considered by many as the pretender to the fortune of his father, Rupert, the phone hacking scandal may have put paid to that. He dropped out of Harvard to start a hip hop label named Rawkus and even gave an airing to a then little known Eminem. Here’s a rebel, complete with two tattoos, who, like a phoenix from the ashes, will undoubtedly rise again. -
Donald Trump Sr.
The Donald is an example of the case of if you owed the bank £5,000, they’d close you down but if you owed the bank £5 billion, you own the bank. (more…) -
Lord & Lady Black (Conrad Black & Barbara Amiel)
She’s a British-Canadian journalist most famous for having an “extravagance that knows no bounds.” He was a media baron who denounced his Canadian citizenship to become a British peer. Life began to unravel in 2005 when he was charged and subsequently convicted on various charges of defrauding Hollinger, the company he led. “Citizen Black” got out of jail a year early and now he and his feisty Manolo wearing sidekick are back on the rampage. Watch out. -
Andrew Davis
He was labeled “Baron Von Essen” but evidence of his pedigree failed to surface. Starting in 1990, this buccaneer built up a collection of 26 luxury hotels but the £300m empire, developed with loans from bankers who plainly asked very few questions, collapsed in 2011. Since then, instead of quietly going to ground, he’s bought a Rolls-Royce from his friend Michael Winner and appeared at quite a few parties. Watch out: “The Talented Mr Davis” is plainly plotting his next move.