April• 2018 | 43it. Then he began requesting shifts
that overlapped with Davis’s. “here’s
no one else in prison I can talk to
about anything other than crime,”
McAvoy told him.
What the two men talked about,
mostly, was sport.
Daviswasahigh-performance
athlete. He had scaled peaks in
Greenland, run a famously gruelling
111-k i lomet re race i n a day, c ycled
thelengthofBritain,beenwritten
up in the local papers. McAvoy was
impressed. Davis’s toughness had
depth.McAvoylearnedthathehad
raised money for charities on many
of his extreme challenges.
Whenever they met, Davis would
advise him on training, nutrition, hu-
man physiology. McAvoy lapped it all
up. Like a wise older brother, Davis
knew to wear his influence lightly.
Everyone is capable of changing,potentially within the inmate’s reach.
The 100-kilometre record for light-
weight men, perhaps, or even the
24-hour distance record.
“Can you even get an official re-
cordforsomethingyoudoinprison?”
McAvoy asked. Good question, Davis
said.He’dlookintoit.
DavishadbrokentheicewithJohn
McAvoy at the perfect time, for the
young inmate was just about ready
to talk.Neededto talk.
Two weeks earlier, McAvoy had
learned that his cousin Aaron – his
best friend in the world – had been
killed in a botched ATM-van robbery.
After receiving the news by phone,
McAvoy returned to his cell and stared
at the ceiling.IfIhadn’tbeeninjailI
probably would have been with him,
andIwouldbedeadtoo,he thought.
hat fact hung in the air for a moment,
and in the silence an insight bloomed.
What do I have to show for my life?
Nothing. I’ve only caused anguish for
my mum. He made a promise to him-
self that night that he would turn his
life around.
Now, epiphany stories are ten
apennyinprison.ButasMcAvoy
opened up to Davis bit by bit over the
daysandweeksthatfollowed,telling
himthestoryofwantingtochange,
of his turnaround, Davis reserved
judgement. He didn’t scoff and he
didn’t laugh. He listened.
Whenajobinthegym–folding
towels and cleaning the equipment –
fell vacant, McAvoy applied and gotApolicephotoof McAvoy
from his time in prisonPHOTO: POLICE HANDOUT