John McAvoy, now 37, was once a career criminal serving a life sentence for armed robbery. In September 2005, he attempted to raid a security van in Eltham, south-east London, unaware that police had been surveilling his accomplice, Kevin Brown. When officers confronted them, McAvoy fled, knocking over a lamppost, but was eventually cornered in a cul-de-sac and arrested at gunpoint.
McAvoy's criminal path was shaped from childhood by his step-father, Billy Tobin, a notorious armed robber who began McAvoy's 'apprenticeship' at age eight. Tobin taught him that working for wages was for 'sheep' and that crime was the route to wealth. Despite his mother's efforts to steer him away, McAvoy was drawn deeper into the underworld, culminating in his arrest and a life sentence.
During his time in high-security prison, McAvoy's best friend was killed in a robbery gone wrong, sparking a desire to change. He turned to sport, taking up indoor rowing in the prison gym. There, he broke three world records and seven British records. After his release in 2012, he became a sponsored triathlete, competing in Ironman events.
McAvoy now uses his story to encourage others to follow a redemptive path through sport. Reflecting on his arrest, he recalls a police officer telling him to look out the window at people shopping on the high street, saying, 'You will not be seeing this for a long time.' That moment, he says, made him realise he would do anything to swap places with them.
