MARVIN HERBERT is known for being an ex-gangster who once worked with some of Europe’s most dangerous figures.
But after being shot and losing his eye, Herbert decided to leave the criminal life behind him.
Marvin Herbert is a former gangster who had been investigated over 24 murders and eight shootings.
He was just eight years old when he shoplifted and went on to wrack up 21 convictions for 76 offences.
But, after spending many years in prison for different crimes, he has turned his life around.
In his Instagram bio, he describes himself as a: “Mental Health & Prison Reform Advocate, Anti-child exploitation specialist.”
Herbert spent a total of 12 years in prison.
He served jail time across several different prison sentences, including armed robbery and shootings.
He said: “I got arrested for lots, I got punished for lots, and I got away with lots.”
However, he claimed he avoided kidnappings as he considered them pointless.
In an interview with James English, Marvin told how he progressed from stealing car parts to becoming involved in serious organised crime after his family moved to London from Liverpool.
Marvin almost died in 2008 after he was shot five times after a dispute over a watch in Puerto Banus, Spain.
Someone close to Herbert had stolen the watch and it was left to him to reimburse the seller.
Herbert then agreed to meet face-to-face to settle the matter. But when he arrived, a British drug gang member was armed with a machine gun.
Marvin said: “I had the intention to try and get the gun off him, and before I could get close enough he shot me in my leg and then shot me through my groin, then shot me through my arm, pelvis, forehead, and then eyeball.”
He added: “The shot that hit me in the leg just put me on the floor straight away, I just said ‘do your job mate’.”
Marvin explained that when he was shot, he wasn’t afraid of dying, but he was distraught at the prospect of his then two-year-old daughter growing up without a dad.
The near-death experience was what motivated Marvin to turn his back on a life of crime and reform himself.
He said: “I’m actually glad he shot me if I’m being honest, because I sort of predicted where my life would have ended up if I never got shot.”
A British man responsible for the shooting was later jailed for eight years by a court in Spain.
It was in this attack that Marvin lost his eye.
Marvin is now a youth worker based in London.
He channels his energy into helping young people avoid making the same mistakes he did.
He is dedicated to providing young people with “different avenues to release their testosterone”.
Marvin said: “These are avenues such as music, boxing, media, football, roofing, scaffolding, painting and decorating.
“Not youth centres but places where kids can go and relate to.
“I’m developing platforms now across the country, and I’m going to have centres doing a million and one different things in the next five years all around the country.”
