'I ruled Manchester with guns and drugs – nighttime became murder time'

A former drugs gang member has revealed what daily life is like for street criminals in the UK’s inner cities.

Matthew Norford controlled south Manchester's streets during some of the most violent years in the city's history, dealing drugs and using guns to instil fear across his territory.

But after his brother was murdered, he turned his life around and now speaks openly about his criminal past as a warning to others. Speaking on Daily Express' On The Edge podcast, he said: “We'd get up in the morning at about eight, brush your teeth, shower, throw your black clothes on and your bulletproof vest.

“Then roll your balaclava up, get a sack of weed. Then you're rolling in a car or you're on a bike, you definitely got a gun.” Days would consist of patrolling areas controlled by gangs that his crew had “beef” with. He continued: “We’d look to shoot anybody – catch someone dropping a kid off, or catch him at a porridge shop…”

But while the days might be broken up with socialising and games of football, the nights were “fully murder time,” Matthew said. He explained: “Balaclavas on, riding through the alleyways with our guns out – riding no-handed so if we see someone we've already got the drop, we can start shooting.”

In the era when Manchester earned its grim nickname “Gunchester” shootings were a daily, or nightly, event. Matthew tells how he was himself wounded in one of the innumerable gang battles. He went on: “I got shot with a machine gun, I’ve still got the bullet still in my leg.”

He now regrets the climate of fear he and his friends caused. He continued: “I remember thinking about times we chased people down, times I've shot people and can see them running for their lives … the times when we ran into people's mum's houses and the mums and the kids are screaming and everything.”

Matthew believes things have definitely improved in Manchester in recent years. “I think it was worse than it is now,” he says. “There were gun shots every day, people were getting shot – we would ride no hands with our guns out in broad daylight and see people and start shooting.”

He recalls one typical example of how casual gang violence was to him and his older brother Gary. “I remember one incident where we were riding in the morning half seven Gary's called me – Gary was a mad man – this is half seven in the morning rolled up our balaclavas, all in black, bulletproof vest on riding down to Maine Road," he explained.

“We pulled up in Moss side, he’s got his balaclava down, I’ve got my balaclava down…” By now, it was the middle of the morning rush hour and Matthew recalls seeing ordinary people on their way to work, and remembers the shock registering on their faces as the two armed youths emerged from an alleyway.

“Gary jumped off the bike, I held the two bikes he’s knocked the door with the .44 and then he’s knocked t the window and you can see someone come and they've ducked,” he continued.

“Everyone in the cars was staring, he calmly got back on the bike we rode back up to Rusholme and as we got in the house and as we got in the house I said ‘What were you going to do? “ and he said ‘Shoot whoever came to the door’.”

Matthew pointed out that the person that answered the door could well have had nothing to do with gang violenceand told his brother he couldn't be part of that. “Six months later, Gary was up for murder,” he said.

Gun violence was just an everyday part of his life. He added: “The shootings were every day, I used to carry a gun every single day. You’re selling drugs so you’re worrying about the drugs the guns people trying to kill you."

Eventually, Matthew turned his back on that life and is now working to now raise awareness on the impact of “county lines” gang crime.