In 1976, a boy was photographed. The picture appeared in The Daily Mirror. The 3-year-old was marching up and down in front of a sentry who stood outside Clarence House in London. Wearing a faux Queen's Guard uniform, the boy was excited for the Trooping the Colour ceremony the next day. A snippet in the article mused about the child and his future. It read: "Dreaming, perhaps of the day when he can measure up to the real thing himself”. That boy was Mark Acklom. He chose a very different path to the one the newspaper and his parents had envisioned. From teenage swindler to one of England’s most wanted fugitives — Mark Acklom, known as an MI6 conman, led a life of audacious scams.

*** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED ***

This episode was researched and written by Rosanna Fitton.

Illustrations and production direction also by Rosanna Fitton. Narration, audio editing, script editing, and production direction by Benjamin Fitton.

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COURT DOCUMENTS and information from the following news organisations were referenced in this episode: BBC NEWS, TELEGRAPH, THE GUARDIAN. SKY NEWS, GLOUCESTERSHIRE LIVE, THE TIMES, THE STANDARD, DAILY MAIL, DAILY MIRROR, DAILY EXPRESS, NEWCASTLE EVENING CHRONICLE, NEWCASTLE JOURNAL and SANDWELL EVENING MAIL.

More information and episode references can be found on our website at https://theywalkamonguspodcast.com

MUSIC:

Stale Mate by Jingle Punks

Hydra by Huma-Huma

Cylinder Four by Chris Zabriskie

CGI Snake by Chris Zabriskie

The Dark Glow of the Mountains by Chris Zabriskie

Little Drunk, Quiet Floats by Puddle of Infinity

Breathing Planet by Doug Maxwell

Eddy by Lish Grooves

Fall Colors by ann annie

Dreaming in 432Hz by Unicorn Heads