In Another Dimension - By Ian Paul Lambert

In Another Dimension
By Ian Paul Lambert

Chapter 1

Hi, my names Vinnie

Yes I know, who?...... Whose Vinnie?.... No one special, that's me, Mr Nobody, MR Insignificant, Billy No Mates!...... Nah, that's not be feeling sorry for myself, that's me just being honest with my lot. Sometimes I think life could have been different, but then I suppose we all think that don't we? No, I'm no one special. I'm you, all of you, each and every one of you that has been shit on, stabbed in the back, taken to the cleaners and shafted in some way. I'm no different to you, not at the moment anyway, not until I turn the first ones lights out! I'm an average guy with 5 children spread over several relationships, I have a dog, an Alsatian called Hector and I'm 49 years of age. One of my sons lives with me and I'm in a relationship with a Beautiful Blonde that happens to be a Psychotherapist. We live in a 3 bedroom house that I pay £875 a month for which I think is an outrageous amount of money, oh and I've just gone bankrupt for the second time.

Which leads me on to why I'm here, as I said a moment ago, I'm no one special, not right now, but I'm going to be and for all the wrong reasons. I'm going to kill some people and I'm going to let you come with me.

Aaah..... You are forgiven for thinking I'm a nut job, I'm quite competent and quite sane thank you very much. Pre meditated murder has been committed by many a sane man and for a lot less too. I'm sane, that's true enough and I know and understand the repercussions of what I'm about to do. I'm going to kill, take a life and even stand and watch that life ebb away. I'm going to leave a Mother without a Son and a Daughter without a Father. Hundreds of people will be affected by the actions I'm going to take, friends and work colleagues of the victims as well as family and even potential witnesses and for those people I am sorry, yet with all that said I'm still going to commit murder,as to the definition of murder within our legal system anyway (although I consider it more to be rodent type extermination). You maybe wouldn't kill these people yourself and I'm sure there are a lot of people that would not kill them either. But I'm going to kill them.

I'm still no different to you and my problems and issues aren't necessarily more important than yours, I'm just fucked off. I'm tired of it, fed up with it to the point of wanting to explode at them and give them a piece of my mind. The trouble is it doesn't work, complaining face to face doesn't work, complaining in writing doesn't work, even ranting and raving doesn't really work. I remember about 14 years ago, the NatWest once kept back money it wasn't entitled to and I needed it to pay wages. I begged and I pleaded and it made no difference, I even explained that what they were doing was illegal and it made no difference, so I exploded right there in that Managers Office. It was a small office with just a table between us and his laptop on it and what is now an old fashioned computer monitor and tower on the end. He said "I'm not letting you have the money it's as simple as that". Enraged, I brought my fist crashing down on his laptop as I stood up. I don't know why I stood up, probably just the pure rage and the physical need to move in some way, that old fight or flight but not quite knowing what to do except keep on exploding like a volcano that once started just keeps erupting and spewing out more fire. The laptop wasn't fully broken and as I raised to my feet I picked it up in my right hand, the left hand joining it as I raised it above my head and smashed it on the desk with both hands, and again and again, throwing what was left in my hands at the Bank Manager cowering behind the desk with that look of "Oh Fuck! What do I do now" in his eyes. I was far to angry to even care whether I frightened him and don't get me wrong I'm not exactly proud of my actions that day or some other days for that matter, but at the time far too angry to care.

The Manager bolted for the door and I went after him, the door led through to a massive work room with around 20 or 30 people at their desks, all looking at my direction, some moving away from their desk as I chased the Manager into the room. I felt possessed, like a man with Rabies GRRRing and shouting and swearing at what a bunch of tosses they were for keeping our money. I picked up a large computer monitor, lifted it above my head and threw it at the Manager who ducked out of the way, turned and watched it hurtle towards someone's desk who had been sitting there moments before, a middle aged lady in a yellow floral dress. People were screaming and a big rush of those that hadn't moved already, now moving away from their desks at the same time. Another computer monitor was in my hands and above my head, the Manager in front of me not quite cowering but not standing up straight either, a look of horror on his face and at that moment I snapped to, a sort of instant realisation of the ridiculousness of the situation, seeing everyone's faces, almost seeing myself from outside my body as it were, I turned and threw it across the room towards an empty corner smashing into another computer as it landed, bits going everywhere. I turned towards the Manager as if to say something, or rather shout something, looked at the door, looked back at him and went towards the door.

On the way home I was on the phone to the Police on an unrelated matter and during our conversation the Officer said "I've just had an emergency phone call from a bank in town with your name on it, it's not you is it Vinnie? I said " yes mate, that was me. I had a falling out with the bank manager" the Officer said " you know I've got to send someone over to bring you in don't you" and I said" yeah I know. Look do me a favour please, I'll meet them at home in about half hour, I have to drop these wages off and I'm going to need a cup of tea before I go anywhere" "No worries Vinnie" he said and that was the end of that conversation. Like I promised, I went home and put the kettle on, there was a knock at the door and when I opened it there was 3 of the biggest coppers I've ever seen standing there with a smaller guy at the back. I didn't know it at the time but the reason he was at the back wasn't because he was the smallest but because he was standing there with a couple of cracked ribs from an earlier fracas a couple of days before and didn't fancy being first if it all turned nasty. Can't blame them for that, they never know what they are going to turn up to next, I have a lot of respect and admiration for the work they do, the only Police I don't like are the bent or abusive ones. Probably no different to you eh?

They came in, let me have my cup of tea, 3 of them had one with me and whilst we were having that and I was calming down, I told them what had happened and why. To my surprise one of them said "you know Vinnie, I feel for you mate. You have just done what most of us want to do at some time or other but can't or don't. We've got to take you in anyway but don't give yourself too hard a time, you just snapped mate" . Which I thought was very kind, the other guys agreed with him and no one slated me for what I had done.

When it got to court the NatWest asked for £2,500 in compensation but the Judge only gave them £260. He was also very kind and said he understood why I had "flipped out" but that criminal damage was still criminal damage and I must be punished, it certainly didn't come across that he wanted to but rather had to. He also mentioned that most people at one time or another wanted to "lose it" with their bank and I had done what most people could never do. I could have sworn he even gave me a little wink! So you see, I'm no different to you in many ways, the only difference is that I did it, I exploded and gave them a bit more than a piece of my mind. It didn't do any good, it added more to my Police Record and made life a bit harder with another £260 to pay at a time when I had just gone bust. I'm not proud of it and wouldn't suggest anyone do it but there you go! If I was to characterise myself I would say I'm one of those people that can take so much and then, SNAP! And as the saying goes I can "turn on a sixpence" and erupt, snarling, shouting and sometimes quite venomous. I've taken a lot of shit and not snapped, I don't do it every time something doesn't go my way, it takes a lot for me to go into one but sometimes enough is enough is enough.......

........I Live in a small town of around 60,000 people, Weymouth, in the county of Dorset in England. I suppose in this day and age it's an average kind of town run by small minded people, you know the type, they like to make all the decisions and tell us what's best for us but never take any responsibility when they balls it up. Some of you would remember the Sailing Olympics was held here and what a fiasco for the town that was. It was great for the sports don't get me wrong and I believe in everything the Olympics is about, but what a fiasco none the less for this lovely little town, the kind of town the Americans call 'Quaint'.

Weymouth is almost at the end of the road, the only place further is Portland which is an island that is joined by a single two lane road built by inmates of the islands prisons many years ago. Behind us is the Island of Portland and Chesil Beach is on our left, Portland Harbour and Weymouth Bay on the right. Behind Portland is the North Sea which spans the 25 mile length of Chesil Beach. In front of us is Dorchester and to the left of Dorchester is Poundbury which is the New Town Prince Charles has had a hand in building. If you were to zoom out as it were then to our left would be Cornwall and to our right would be Bournemouth and the South Coast and London. I guess we are about 250 miles from London. So that pretty much gives you the basic geography and lay of the land.

Originally I come from London, I was born in The un-Married Mothers Salvation Army Hospital in Hackney East London which sort of makes me a Cockney. I say sort of because to be a true Cockney you have to be born within the sound of Bow Bells. Bow Bells are the Church Bells in the suburb of Bow except the Church was blown up in the second world war and the bells haven't rung since. If the bells had been ringing you would have been able to hear them so I consider myself a Cockney. I take some pride in being a Cockney, as though I have a place to come from that's a apart of me but at the same time a culture that's dying out, that's it, I suppose, a culture.

I lived mainly in North London, between my Mum's in Tottenham and my Nan's in Edmonton, I went to school there and had an average single parent upbringing until I was about 13 and then went to live with my Dad in Peterborough in Cambridgeshire.

I have quite a past, nothing special in my mind and at the same time, it's been a bit more hectic than most. No different to you really.........

Chapter 2

The street we are walking down is St Mary's Street in Weymouth, one of the main shopping streets in the town centre. This one and the next street to it over to our left run parallel to each other with several adjoining small cut through streets. Over to our right is the sea front which also runs parallel to us. On one side the sea and beach and on the other shops, hotels and cafes. It's not a massively big town and at present around 20 of the shops are empty. You see that shop there between the Butchers Shop and the Age UK charity shop? That was our shop. We used it as a Fundraising Shop which is like a Charity Shop. We called it "The Cheapest 'Charity' Shop In Dorset". Well, most of our customers thought we was the cheapest, no one had bought the domain name and it seemed to fit what we were doing. I did wonder whether it would cause some controversy but then controversy is needed if you want to change things for the better. We used the shop to sell the items that had been donated to us so that we could raise funds for our project.

That space outside the shop of about 15ft by 10 ft is what started they used as their excuse to start complaining, that and the use of the word 'Charity' in the inverted commas on the sign. Now just turn around and look at the restaurant opposite The 'Dining Room'. What I didn't realise when we took on our shop was that we would be opening a Bankruptcy 'Charity' Shop dead opposite one of the most expensive restaurants in town. Talk about the divide between the have's and have nots! The 'divide' is a few short paces from our shop to their restaurant, about 12 feet.

Our story doesn't really start here but here is as good a place as any to start. Now you would think that when we moved in, these so called upstanding citizens all around us would have come over one by one and introduced themselves, maybe even welcomed us into the neighbourhood? Nah, not one of them. Not a single solitary one of them. The only sounds to come out of their mouths was bemoaning and complaints. Let me give you an example. Turning back to what was our shop, you see over on the left where our shop meets the Butchers Shop next door? You see his two sided sign that runs vertical hanging down so that the external side is almost level with the boundary of our shop? It almost looks like this side of the sign is on our side but it isn't and is dead level with the boundary of his shop and mine. He relies on people walking up the street towards him being able to see his sign no matter which direction they come from. Nothing wrong with that at all, except if I were to put a sign in the same place on my side we would end up with two signs facing each other that no one can see. I wasn't that antagonistic, but I did think of it after he started moaning. What I did do was put furniture and tables outside to sell from, what you would call alfresco and no different to any other retailer in town including the Sutcher. This led to items being put in front of his sign and rather than come and talk about it nicely he came in shouting his mouth of. I didn't like that. For the last 15 years that he had been there, whoever had our shop didn't use the outside for alfresco selling and so he was able to display that sign without any fuss. Then we came along and after he had used it for so long he thought it was his by divine right.

Meanwhile the restaurant behind us stated on their Facebook page that they had lost customers. Now this is all in the first week of us moving in. Apparently their customers didn't want to eat very expensive meals looking out of the window at our shop and seeing the words 'Charity' or 'Bankruptcy'. They felt guilty at spending such high prices on the food. Not really my fault but it became my problem. From the moment we moved in they would not even acknowledge us, not a hello in the morning or a goodbye in the evening, talk about fucking rude! It doesn't hurt does it? A simple nod of the head and a mini grunt is all that is needed to observe cordiality and politeness.

Now look over there to the left of the restaurant and you will see the Bag Shop which is run by an old trout that has nothing better to do all day but complain about something, anything. In the newspaper article which I'll tell you about later, this nasty old bag called us a bogus charity. She is also going to get her comeuppance!

Now turning back to our shop, on the right is the Age Uk Charity Shop. Their manager in the same article also called us bogus and her Area Manager said "bogus charity shops like these make it harder for the rest of us". FUCKING OUTRAGEOUS!

So to reiterate, in less than a week we have managed to alienate the immediate business community and they all think we are a bunch of crooks ripping off the public. Now we have been in business for 2 years at the previous shop, none of this shit, well some shit but different shit. The local businesses didn't work against us they worked with us. Here in town they can't wait to point the finger and get up in arms. Of course they all forgot the fact that we would bring business to our stretch of the street from the loyal customer base we had. If they had just stopped for a moment and thought about it, they would have realised that us moving there was good for everyone including the Charity Shop. The trouble is they are small minded people only interested in number one and I really despise that.

We moved here to St Mary's Street in the Town Centre at the end of May this year, just prior to the Olympics starting. From the moment we moved we encountered prejudice and discrimination from these few local businesses and the two Town Councillors Ray Banham and Peter Farrell who blatantly used and abused their position as Town Councillor to do what they could to impede our progress. These local businesses persuaded the two Town Councillors to get involved. From my understanding they had approached both the Highways Department and the Licensing Department and asked them to specifically "Do something about the HS4B shop before the Olympic Visitors arrive". Both departments came to visit our shop and both departments refused to be used in this way. Both departments took the view that if they did something about our shop they had to do something about every other shop in town and they classed that as potential victimisation and discrimination. Both departments also agreed our shop was not the untidiest shop in town but was one of the busiest and compared to some other Charity Shops, one of the cleanest and tidiest shops in town.

In this first instance this is regarding the placing of items for sale outside the shop frontage. It was the view of those two Councillors, several local business owners and some top level Council Officials that we "lowered the tone of the High Street along with the Town it's self and must be removed before the Olympic Visitors arrive", who incidentally never turned up.

Once we had moved in, we found no welcome. Only one local business, Bath Travel, came over to welcome us onto the High Street. No other business owner so much as said hello. The staff from the shops and businesses however came in every day, we're polite and welcoming and full of 'Good Luck' for our endeavours.

We received no communication from any of the Councillors, Council Employees or Officials as to the road closures at 10 am. We had no idea this was happening and was surprised that no communication regarding this had been sent to us. We only found out quite by accident in conversation with someone the day before the closures started. By which time it was far too late for us to take it into consideration. Driving into town myself, I spoke to Police Officers and Volunteers and Council Employees and none of them knew what they were doing, the Council Employees were blaming the Police the Police were blaming the Council and no one seemed to know what roads were closed and what ones were not. It wasn't until nearly the second week that things started running more smoothly with the closures from a point of view of those involved knowing what they were doing.

As it turned out, the road closures were a complete waste of time or money because the expected visitors and traffic did not arrive. They don't close the Town Centre on Carnival day and we have had as many as 200,000 people in town for the Carnival. Something the Council did not take into consideration was the Charity Shops. The general public do not make appointments to take in donated goods, invariably when the general public have a sort out, they put it in the car and take it to a Community Shop that accepts donated items, usually referred to as a Charity Shop but not always a registered Charity. Once the road closures were in place it meant the amount of donated items decreased dramatically to almost nothing. The general public that could not bring their items into town simply gave the items to a Shop that was accessible and we, alongside other shops lost out in a big way. For the previous 18 months whilst we were at Portland Road, the amount of donated items was huge, often referred to as a conveyer belt that never stopped and so true that was. Every day dozens of vehicles would pull up outside and bring donated items. Because of the road closures, this influx of donated items dried up immediately.

The visitors the Council promised, did not arrive. Hundreds of bus journeys running back and forth empty just purely wasting fuel, acres of fields taken up for park and ride customers that never came and worst hit of all were the local businesses because they had no customers. Town Centre was like a Christmas Day, yes there were some people but it was as dead as a door nail. I'm sure in hindsight they all regret the hundreds of thousands spent advertising for hundreds of miles around that Weymouth was going to be busy. I'm sure in hindsight they all regret putting visitors off from coming to Weymouth, however somewhere, someone needs to take some responsibility for these catastrophic actions. Even a Festival set up just for the Olympics at a humongous cost went bust in the first week of the Olympics. It was an absolute disaster from start to finish. There was no proper consultation with local people or local businesses, it seems a select few decided on what was best for the many and it was a disaster.

I have been running this project for several years, not one single Councillor or Council Official has given us one scrap of help in all that time. No official support or help given whatsoever and yet we were for the local community. The people 'got it' from the first day we opened the doors, they understood what we were about, how we were helping the community and how we were helping the local economy. The Councillors and Council Officials however, did not understand and were not interested. At one point I wrote to each and every Councillor and still no one would help us. There was an article once about a project in Portland that would be creating 15 jobs with a multi million pound investment. For that kind of money we could see a thousand local people employed in sustainable long term employment and yet we got no help and no interest.

When we moved to St Mary's Street, it was always going to be touch and go as we had no reserves and no safety net in a monetary sense. It had to work or we would fold, plain and simple. It worked, from the moment we opened the doors, it worked. Right up until the road closures, it worked. Then the road closures started and the Olympic Visitors never arrived. Not only did the Visitors not arrive but local people that had been convinced by the Council as to how busy town was going to be, also stayed away which left the Town Centre as a partial ghost town.

If they had listened to the people that did not want to advertise this was going to be a busy town, if they had listened to the people that said closing the streets was a bad idea and if they had listened to the people that said £12.50 for the park and ride was a rip off and if they had listened to the people that said to charge local residents (or anyone else for that matter) money to enter the beach or the public park at Nothe was outrageous and a rip off, then maybe things would have been different. However arrogant stubbornness bore through and millions was wiped off the local economy which has caused long term and lasting damage to the town. At £35 a ticket who on a low income could afford it? No consideration to local residents was taken into account.

If they really care about the Community they are paid to serve, then they would understand that our project is needed and necessary for the Community. Had we been helped we would have achieved much more for not mine but their Community too. They have a Communities Department that has paid staff and it is my understanding they are paid to do nothing else but help the Community and the Community Projects. We have never seen a single soul from that department, in fact the last communication we had was to say they were far too busy helping the Littlemore Project spend their million pound grant and that was over two years ago. I don't understand a Communities Department that picks and chooses who they will or will not help. Surely it is their remit to help everyone and anyone without prejudice or discrimination or have I got that wrong?

We have stopped more than 1000 tonnes going into the landfill, we have saved one persons life, we have helped hundreds of people with a tiny bit of knowledge, we have helped other local Community Projects, Religious Groups and Organisations with thousands of pounds of goods they desperately needed but could not afford. We have helped Council Employees, the Homeless, Disabled, Employed and Unemployed. We have given work to the unemployable and those with learning difficulties. We have helped the people and the Community of Weymouth in numerous ways and received no help ourselves from the people like the Council that really count. Even our MP Richard Drax says "one can't put ones name to those kinds of people" yet "those kinds of people make up a huge percentage of the local Community. It is not just about Bankruptcy but about getting out of and staying out of debt and this relates to more than half of the local population.

Yeah, sorry about that, I do get on my soap box a bit sometimes when I get going. So where was I? ........ Oh yes these wankers here. These people I showed you here have all colluded with each other to get rid of us and cause us problems by besmirching a name we had spent several years building. They've just got to go. ......... Oh yes I do mean they have to go in a kill the bastards kind of way. What right do they have to kill of mine or anyone else's business? None that's what, none at all. They all ganged up like little school bullies. Everything they did worked and we lost. Now I don't mind losing in anything, darts, work, scrabble, monopoly but I do object when people win by double dealing, lying and cheating. My Nan used to say "Cheats never prosper" well I can promise that these fuckers won't prosper, not for much longer anyway.

How? Oh I don't quite know yet how I'm going to kill them, its going to take some time and some planning, after all, I don't want to get caught and spend the rest of my life inside do I? And that's the statement that tells you I know what I am about to do is wrong, however with no protection from anywhere, a man has to do what a man has to do right?

Anyway it's getting a bit cold and it's starting to rain so let's walk over the harbour bridge and I'll buy you a hot chocolate and a waffle. The is a really fantastic Waffle Shop very the bridge run by a very nice lady, an independent. It's not far, we need to walk back this way towards the harbour, turn right at the end and left over the bridge. We had better get a move on now the heavens are starting to open.

CHAPTER 3
One Down

Notice how the streets empty? The moment bad weather hits Weymouth, the people scatter for home or indoors and the streets become deserted. Then when the weather is good, they all scurry back out. I used to live above the harbour and we used to notice that a lot. We would sit at the window with a bottle of wine watching the town, when it rains it empties fast and when the sun comes back out so do the people. Anyway just around this corner and we will be on the bridge........... By the way I wanted to ask you............Oh fuck my old boots look at that, you see that old bloke coming towards us with the walking stick? That's Peter Farrell one of the bent Counsellors I was telling you about, oh this could be fate!

........ What do you mean? Look around, there isn't a soul in site, no traffic and no people, just what? Thirty feet between me and him. Go over there and walk on the other side of the road, NOW, GO........

"hello Peter, helped to close any small businesses down lately?"
"Mr Lambert. I really don't wish to talk to you, please move aside"
"fancy a swim Peter?" the tide's quite high and the water lovely and cold, with any luck you'll have a cardiac before you reach the side"
Mr Lambert are you threatening me? I did what had to be done, tatty secondhand shops like yours belong on a side street not a prominent location in the town centre, now GET OUT OF MY WAY BEFORE I SUMMON SOME ASSISTANCE"

"Take a look around Peter, not only is there no one to hear you but in this weather you can't even see the end of the bridge. People lost their jobs because of you and your cronies, local people lost the only hope they had when we closed, you nasty little man. I fucking hate cunts like you........"t h w a c k"........... Be nice to the ........ "splash"...... fish"........

"Ah.... You found it then?...... Have you ordered?"
"hello love, two Waffles with everything on them and a couple of hot chocolates please"

You'll enjoy this experience, as I said earlier the best waffles for miles around. No he went for a swim. I tried to talking to him but he didn't want to listen and I'm still angry so I hit him quickly, only once palm up against his nose and pushed him over the railing, it's only just above waist high, he went over and splash!"

"look at that I'm shaking, well I guess I would be with my first kill.......at least I hope he's dead, it wouldn't do if he is still alive now would it? I'm not finished yet, many more miles to go before I bloody well sleep. ...... Stay there, there is nothing you can do and even if the was I wouldn't let you"

"look, in my view he was a terrorist, a terrorist on home soil. Helping to smash other peoples lives for his own ends. A terrorist would be overjoyed at the results of his and the others actions. A terrorist destroys, they smash and blow up and cause conflict. He was also bent because of what he did. He was a Councillor and should have been an impartial one, instead he was biased for his and his friends personal ends and gain and anyway, I had to start somewhere. One down and a few more to go!"

Chapter 4

I have stopped there, a bit like a mini story because I would like some help on evaluating it so far. I don't have the confidence to ask anyone that knows me and can't find a way to get some honest non judgemental feedback. Should I continue or will people think the idea is rubbish. For me personally it's a way to get the anger out in a format that can't hurt anyone, embellish upon it and show a darker side of what ordinary people are up against when they try to do something for the community and their 'face doesn't fit'.

I would appreciate any comments no matter how critical, I am not an academic and tend to write the same way I would speak.

I'm struggling to continue the story for lack of money, if you all think it's crap then I can save some valuable time and concentrate on something else, if by some miracle you find it interesting and left some positive comments then I may get the confidence I need to continue and find a way to fund it.

Thank you very kindly.
Ian x