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Predators' Paradise: A Journey of Survival and Resilience
Predators’ Paradise is a raw, honest account of Glen’s life. He was born into violence and addiction. His mother was addicted to drugs and alcohol and had mental health issues as well as a propensity to violence with her husband and children. The father was arrested and the parents did not reunite after his release. Shunted between his parents and care homes, the violence and cruelty inflicted on Glen left him broken and untrusting. His determination to survive is remarkable.
In his world where no-one could be trusted or confided in, Glen was raped by a friend of his parents at age nine and so he spent most of his energy hiding from the rapist and his parents’ rages. His childhood was lived walking on eggshells.
Glen became a runaway and ended up in institutional ‘care.’ Sent back to his father by authorities, Glen was rejected and abandoned in the streets of Kings Cross.
Here predators of all descriptions pounced on the vulnerable child, even while he lived in a refuge that he believed would be safe. His innocence and health were destroyed by people he trusted because they were in positions of power. Police corruption was rife in the 1980s and protection rackets enabled paedophiles, drug dealers and all sorts of criminals to thrive unchecked. Challenging the police gave them reason to set Glen up for any crime they chose and he was regularly arrested. None of the charges led to conviction.
Unable to deal with the pain of the rape and murder of his fifteen year old girlfriend Linda, Glen turned to heroin to dull his senses and he lived the harsh life of an addict with all its battles and repeated brushes with death, alone in back alleys of Kings Cross. This story clearly shows that there is nothing glamorous about heroin addiction.
Inevitably Glen found himself in prison. Here he learned to navigate the unforgiving system while withdrawing from heroin and coping with the traumas of flashbacks from his past.
Prison enabled this man to get himself into good physical shape and better his education by doing a series of trade and computer courses. He was awarded a General Certificate of Education (equivalent to a School Certificate) which was quite an achievement for a person with very little formal education.
After prison Glen found love and became a father. Here was the incentive for him to escape the demons of the past and turn his back on addiction. He fights hard, fails often and eventually succeeds.
Haunted by his abusers he is driven to fight for justice for himself and the many friends he lost along the way. Having been told by the worst of his abusers that he would never get justice or write a book, Glen became even more determined to do both.
The justice system is a maze of heavily flawed processes. Glen knows this but he keeps fighting. He gave evidence about police corruption and protection of paedophiles at the Wood Royal Commission and also at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse. He assisted police to hold three abusers accountable in court cases that led to their convictions and imprisonment.
There are more predators who need to be held accountable and Glen is fighting on to have them arrested.
In his world where no-one could be trusted or confided in, Glen was raped by a friend of his parents at age nine and so he spent most of his energy hiding from the rapist and his parents’ rages. His childhood was lived walking on eggshells.
Glen became a runaway and ended up in institutional ‘care.’ Sent back to his father by authorities, Glen was rejected and abandoned in the streets of Kings Cross.
Here predators of all descriptions pounced on the vulnerable child, even while he lived in a refuge that he believed would be safe. His innocence and health were destroyed by people he trusted because they were in positions of power. Police corruption was rife in the 1980s and protection rackets enabled paedophiles, drug dealers and all sorts of criminals to thrive unchecked. Challenging the police gave them reason to set Glen up for any crime they chose and he was regularly arrested. None of the charges led to conviction.
Unable to deal with the pain of the rape and murder of his fifteen year old girlfriend Linda, Glen turned to heroin to dull his senses and he lived the harsh life of an addict with all its battles and repeated brushes with death, alone in back alleys of Kings Cross. This story clearly shows that there is nothing glamorous about heroin addiction.
Inevitably Glen found himself in prison. Here he learned to navigate the unforgiving system while withdrawing from heroin and coping with the traumas of flashbacks from his past.
Prison enabled this man to get himself into good physical shape and better his education by doing a series of trade and computer courses. He was awarded a General Certificate of Education (equivalent to a School Certificate) which was quite an achievement for a person with very little formal education.
After prison Glen found love and became a father. Here was the incentive for him to escape the demons of the past and turn his back on addiction. He fights hard, fails often and eventually succeeds.
Haunted by his abusers he is driven to fight for justice for himself and the many friends he lost along the way. Having been told by the worst of his abusers that he would never get justice or write a book, Glen became even more determined to do both.
The justice system is a maze of heavily flawed processes. Glen knows this but he keeps fighting. He gave evidence about police corruption and protection of paedophiles at the Wood Royal Commission and also at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse. He assisted police to hold three abusers accountable in court cases that led to their convictions and imprisonment.
There are more predators who need to be held accountable and Glen is fighting on to have them arrested.
500 pages, Paperback
Published May 21, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 30, 2024
Inspired by a TV documentary of Glen and his mission to relieve the suffering of homeless people in King’s Cross, I really wanted to learn about Glen’s story so I read this book.
It’s a disturbing book as it deals with the confronting themes and long term impacts of child abuse. I’m glad I read it though. It shows how some victims of abuse have been fortunate enough with psychotherapy and counseling to be able to connect their behavioural patterns of anger, depression and anxiety with past traumas to help understand the “why” about their emotions, feelings and behaviour towards others. With this awareness, meaningful and lasting changes can be made which can make a positive difference in their lives and in others. Tragically so many people do not get this opportunity and suffer greatly or die as a result. Is there more we can do to help the vulnerable? Glen shows us that the answer is absolutely YES.
It’s a disturbing book as it deals with the confronting themes and long term impacts of child abuse. I’m glad I read it though. It shows how some victims of abuse have been fortunate enough with psychotherapy and counseling to be able to connect their behavioural patterns of anger, depression and anxiety with past traumas to help understand the “why” about their emotions, feelings and behaviour towards others. With this awareness, meaningful and lasting changes can be made which can make a positive difference in their lives and in others. Tragically so many people do not get this opportunity and suffer greatly or die as a result. Is there more we can do to help the vulnerable? Glen shows us that the answer is absolutely YES.
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April 4, 2023I could not put this book down. It brings to the surface the harrowing grip of heroin on young people's lives and the importance of a stable family home in childhood. Glen has been to hell and back, suffering all forms of abuse and has still had the strength to continue to bring these putrid predators to justice.
August 16, 2025
It’s so hard to believe that one child could go through so much trauma and pain from the people who are ment to love him! As I know glen, how he has become the selfless caring man he is today is a miracle. A great read.
May 5, 2026
Having listened to an interview with Glen on radio I felt compelled to read his story and I was not disappointed. A dreadfully sad life inflicted on a young child, abused physically and mentally by his parents he ran away as a teenager and became a street kid in Kings Cross. There he was accepted by others like him but was also sexually abused by people meant to look after these children. The people who looked after him were street walkers, older street kids and prostitutes. The police at that time in The Cross were corrupt, often sexually abusing both boys and girls, laying false charges against them and were basically cruel to them.
Over the years Glen found a family feeling with the other street kids and sadly, eventually got hooked on heroin. He came close to death by overdose several times but somehow was brought back from the brink each time. He went to visit his mother who only wanted money for alcohol from him and he left after her abuse. His father who lived elsewhere was equally abusive so Glen returned to The Cross and after many false charges ended up in prison. He went to methadone clinics which helped for a while until something went wrong and he was back on heroin. Too many of his friends died from overdosing and although he always said he would stop using he couldn’t escape the addiction.
After some time in prison he was sent to a minimum security prison where his health improved as did his attitude to life. He desperately missed his baby daughter and when released went to live with a couple from the church he attended. Life went better for him but his demons still haunted him and the desire for heroin still had its grips on him.
A marriage which lasted 16 years gave four more children but the pain of his early life never left him. He gave evidence against several of the predators who were given very light sentences which he felt were most unsatisfactory after the damage they did to so many children. His life is better now, with his children and grandchildren.
This is a story of fear, self loathing, hurt, abuse, addiction and determination for the beautiful soul within to survive.
Over the years Glen found a family feeling with the other street kids and sadly, eventually got hooked on heroin. He came close to death by overdose several times but somehow was brought back from the brink each time. He went to visit his mother who only wanted money for alcohol from him and he left after her abuse. His father who lived elsewhere was equally abusive so Glen returned to The Cross and after many false charges ended up in prison. He went to methadone clinics which helped for a while until something went wrong and he was back on heroin. Too many of his friends died from overdosing and although he always said he would stop using he couldn’t escape the addiction.
After some time in prison he was sent to a minimum security prison where his health improved as did his attitude to life. He desperately missed his baby daughter and when released went to live with a couple from the church he attended. Life went better for him but his demons still haunted him and the desire for heroin still had its grips on him.
A marriage which lasted 16 years gave four more children but the pain of his early life never left him. He gave evidence against several of the predators who were given very light sentences which he felt were most unsatisfactory after the damage they did to so many children. His life is better now, with his children and grandchildren.
This is a story of fear, self loathing, hurt, abuse, addiction and determination for the beautiful soul within to survive.
February 22, 2025
A raw insight into a life of an innocent child & his brother thrown into a cruel world of adults who chose to abuse & deflect their problems onto these kids. So hard to read at times. I cried a lot, shook my head alot. A fantastic read.
April 12, 2026
Raw and Revealing
Tells of the sad facts and consequences of institutions that failed, the victims they created and the brutal path to escape the demons that will probably never leave the author.
Tells of the sad facts and consequences of institutions that failed, the victims they created and the brutal path to escape the demons that will probably never leave the author.
April 20, 2026
I wasn't even ready to read this yet but choose to read a sample as I was having issues downloading another book. It had me totally captivated from start through to finish. I found it to be raw and honest and would highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews