Jack Livesey (impostor)

John "Jack" Livesey (born 15 May 1954) is a British military imposter who posed as a decorated war hero; in actuality he served in the army as a cook for three years. His fabricated military record included twenty years in the Parachute Regiment, fighting with the 2nd Battalion in the Falklands War, serving five tours of duty in Northern Ireland, receiving the Military Medal and reaching the rank of Colour Sergeant. He has worked as a historian, author, consultant, lecturer and battlefield tour guide on the basis of his alleged military experience.[1]

For the British actor, see Jack Livesey. For the English footballer, see Jack Livesey (footballer).

Career

Jack Livesey served as a chef in the Army Catering Corps from 1971 until 1974, when he was discharged following a mental breakdown.

Livesey was featured as a military historian in the documentary Death and Destruction in the Falaise Gap[2] and on the History Channel series Battlefield Detectives. He worked as a historical adviser on the 2005 BBC documentary series D-Day to Berlin and the 2006 movie Flyboys.[3] He claimed to have also advised production crews, uncredited, on the miniseries Band of Brothers and the movie Saving Private Ryan.[4]

Livesey authored books of military non-fiction, three which were co-written by George Forty, a well-known author and a former curator of the Tank Museum.[5]

Livesey worked at the Imperial War Museum Duxford for seven years, first as a volunteer and later as a collections assistant, until he resigned in 2006.[1]

Criminal convictions

In 2004 Jack Livesey was convicted of benefit fraud for receiving nearly £30,000 in incapacity benefit while he was employed at the Imperial War Museum. He was sentenced to a suspended twelve-month jail term due to his supposed military service, and character references submitted by veterans including Air Commodore Peter Thorne and Major Gordon Corrigan, who knew Livesey and believed him to be a war hero.

Livesey was exposed as an impostor when investigations following his conviction found that the references submitted by the veterans were based on false claims that Livesey had made to them. He was subsequently charged with perverting the course of justice by police, and admitted to lying about his army career, but denied he was aware the references were submitted. His partner, Bridget Pollard, testified that she had compiled the references.[6]

In mitigation, Livesey's attorney stated that his client had been diagnosed with dependent and histrionic personality disorder, and argued these disorders impaired his client's ability to tell fact from fiction. Livesey was found guilty, sentenced to three years in jail and was ordered to pay £3,500 in prosecution costs.[7] He filed on appeal on the grounds that his sentence was excessive. The appeal was denied.[8]

Bibliography
  • Jack Livesey (16 May 2006). The World Encyclopedia of Armoured Fighting Vehicles. Lorenz Books. ISBN 978-0-75481-580-8.
  • Jack Livesey, George Forty (11 January 2007). The World Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles. Anness Publishing. ISBN 978-0-75481-741-3.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  • Jack Livesey (21 September 2007). Armoured Fighting Vehicles of World Wars I and II. Southwater. ISBN 978-1-84476-370-2.
  • Jack Livesey (18 March 2008). Modern Armored Fighting Vehicles: From 1946 to the Present Day. Southwater. ISBN 978-1-84476-462-4.
  • Jack Livesey (1 March 2011). Death in the Falaise Gap: A Reappraisal of Normandy 1944. The History Press. ISBN 978-0-75244-855-8.
  • Jack Livesey, George Forty (16 September 2012). The Complete Guide to Tanks and Armoured Fighting Vehicles. Southwater. ISBN 978-1-78019-164-5.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  • Jack Livesey, George Forty (7 November 2014). A Complete Illustrated Guide to Tanks & Armoured Fighting Vehicles. Lorenz Books. ISBN 978-0-75482-926-3.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)

References
  1. "Historian 'posed as a war hero'". BBC News. 3 July 2009.
  2. Death and Destruction in the Falaise Gap (DVD). DD Home Entertainment.
  3. Jack Livesey on IMDb
  4. "Army fantasist John Livesey jailed for lying to court". BBC News. 26 August 2011.
  5. "Lt Col George Forty, "Father of the Tank Museum"". bournemouthecho.co.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  6. "Man who faked army career guilty of perverting course of justice". The Guardian. 4 August 2011.
  7. "Man jailed for faking army career". Mirror. 7 February 2012.
  8. Brown, Raymond (May 2, 2012). "Fake Falkland's war hero: sentence appeal dismissed". Cambridge News.
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