Park life

The average temperature at the height of spring in Naples is 24C.

In Lancashire it’s 16C. And if there’s one thing that Italians moan about when they come to England - other than the food - it's the weather.

But Preston, in Lancashire, was where Panzuto fled to in the early months of 2006. So why this unlikely corner of England? Panzuto explained it to me during our prison meeting.

The Camorra has links around Europe, in order to do business. Some of its profits come from the illegal tax-free movement of goods in and out of Naples, and the clans do that with the help of overseas partners.

One of Panzuto’s closest associates in Naples had made deep connections to an organised crime gang in north-west England.

“These English guys were scrambling to meet me... then we went to the pub” Gennaro Panzuto

This gang - made up almost entirely of British men - was making a lot of money without needing to be violent on the streets.

One of their scams involved shipping shoes into Naples without paying any VAT - the Camorra would sell them on and undercut legitimate traders.

The British gang was headed by a businessman who appeared to be an entirely upstanding member of his community. He had a lawyer who was as bent as they come and an accountant who cooked the books in case the tax man came looking.

Panzuto had met the British businessman in Naples.

As the police closed in on him after the Borelli murder, Panzuto’s British friends offered him sanctuary in Lancashire. This presented him with two opportunities - a chance to hide out for a while, and also to learn about a lucrative business.

When he arrived at Liverpool John Lennon Airport, the British boss had a special welcome for his Camorra friend. A Rolls Royce was there to collect him.

“You don’t know how much I smiled,” Panzuto says. “These English guys - and they were scrambling to meet me - they sent me this chauffeur. And then we went to the pub.”

Once there, he met the wider circle around the businessman and was given important insights into their operations - all over a pint of bitter.

Panzuto told them his priority was to lie low, and the British businessman said he could sort that out right away.

Gennaro Panzuto in the UK

The Six Arches Caravan Park lies in a bend in the River Wyre, halfway between Preston and Lancaster.

Apart from the occasional high-speed train passing, it is a peaceful spot - a short drive from the Forest of Bowland, and the seaside delights of Blackpool and Morecambe.

Panzuto rented a unit at the caravan park, and his wife and children arrived from Naples.

He was a little vague about his background. But, being a chatty kind of guy, he quickly made friends.

Park staff remember their new guest had a thing for flash cars - and had to be ticked off for breaking the 5mph speed restrictions. The cars, including a Porsche, were gifts from his host.

It was a welcoming place, and neighbours happily lent the family a phone to call home. It didn’t occur to anyone at the time that this was a bit odd, given he clearly had money.

And one of the neighbours who helped the Panzutos settle in was Mick Bury.

Had Mick known at the time what he knows now, he may have thought twice about banging on Panzuto’s door after the Italian had driven into his car.

“I was that worked up about it, I said, ‘Oi! Have you seen what you have done to my car? Couldn’t you see it?’”

Mick Bury

Gennaro Panzuto, confronted with a furious Lancastrian yelling at 100mph, gesticulated apologetically. Then he gave Mick a piece of paper with a phone number on it. Mick phoned the number and a man with a local accent said he would be there in 20 minutes to sort it out.

The local man - arriving in a nice car and wearing a suit - listened to Mick’s complaint.

He looked at the damage and - there and then - peeled off £200 from a wodge of notes. He told Mick there would be another £200 the following week.

“No questions asked - he just wanted it sorted,” says Mick.

And then, Mick and Panzuto became friends. During that summer’s World Cup Finals in Germany, they shared a laugh and a beer, as they watched Italy win the tournament for the fourth time.

“The joke - when I went out with my friends - was, ‘Hey, you need to watch out, he might be a mafia man…’”

In time, their friendship became such that Panzuto gave Mick, a dedicated dancer, a gift of Italian dancing shoes.

They were made of the softest black leather, with a stripe of brown across the toe. The smooth sole was made to glide. “I still wear them now - I couldn’t afford them. He was very generous.”

Panzuto made other friends on the site. Russ, the maintenance manager, remembers the Neapolitan buying people drinks in the park’s social club.

He would turn up with sample shoes and leather coats - and then give them away. People loved the extravagant new resident.

And Panzuto was beginning to enjoy his life in England. There was, he told me in prison, a peace and quiet unlike Naples. But it wasn’t a holiday.

The British businessman boss who was helping to hide him, now needed the favour paid back in a way that only Panzuto could do.