Violent. Dangerous. Easy to anger. Frank Mitchell, dubbed “The Mad Axe Man”, was all of these. Befriended by the infamous Cray twins while in prison in the 1950s, Mitchell entered a life of crime. It was this life of crime that would see Mitchell “banged up” at Dartmoor Prison ; it was a life of crime that would ultimately end with his brutal murder at the hands of the Cray twins in 1966.
Early Life
Born into a family of 7 children in a poor suburb of London, Mitchell started his criminal career at the age of 7 when he stole a bicycle. From this time he spent his time in and out of borstals for theft and shop breaking. Physically strong, Mitchell would often end up being lashed with the cat o'nine tails for his violent behaviour towards the guards.
Life of Crime
Mitchell's life changed forever when he met the Cray twins in Wandsworth prison in the 1950s. Impressed with his physical strength – he could after all lift a piano over his head – the Crays used him as their “muscle man” to intimidate others. Mitchell earnt himself the nickname “The Mad Axe Man” when he held up an elderly couple with a pair of meat cleavers.
Escape from Prison
Mitchell was once again imprisoned in the 1960s. During this time, the Crays organised a breakout for Mitchell. While he was with a group of inmates working on the moors breaking granite, the Crays organised for a get away car to whisk him away to London. Unfortunately Mitchell had become an embarrassment for the Crays. His violent, unpredictable behaviour meant that they were never sure what he would do next. As a result, the Crays organised Mitchell to be shot. His body was never found.
Although Mitchell was violent and dangerous, there was another side to him. A passionate budgerigar breeder, he would spend hours caring for his birds. Perhaps with a different upbringing or with a more sympathetic treatment in the borstals, Mitchell could have lead a completely different life.
Violent. Dangerous. Easy to anger. Frank Mitchell, dubbed “The Mad Axe Man”, was all of these. Befriended by the infamous Cray twins while in prison in the 1950s, Mitchell entered a life of crime. It was this life of crime that would see Mitchell “banged up” at Dartmoor Prison ; it was a life of crime that would ultimately end with his brutal murder at the hands of the Cray twins in 1966.
Early Life
Born into a family of 7 children in a poor suburb of London, Mitchell started his criminal career at the age of 7 when he stole a bicycle. From this time he spent his time in and out of borstals for theft and shop breaking. Physically strong, Mitchell would often end up being lashed with the cat o'nine tails for his violent behaviour towards the guards.
Life of Crime
Mitchell's life changed forever when he met the Cray twins in Wandsworth prison in the 1950s. Impressed with his physical strength – he could after all lift a piano over his head – the Crays used him as their “muscle man” to intimidate others. Mitchell earnt himself the nickname “The Mad Axe Man” when he held up an elderly couple with a pair of meat cleavers.
Escape from Prison
Mitchell was once again imprisoned in the 1960s. During this time, the Crays organised a breakout for Mitchell. While he was with a group of inmates working on the moors breaking granite, the Crays organised for a get away car to whisk him away to London. Unfortunately Mitchell had become an embarrassment for the Crays. His violent, unpredictable behaviour meant that they were never sure what he would do next. As a result, the Crays organised Mitchell to be shot. His body was never found.
Although Mitchell was violent and dangerous, there was another side to him. A passionate budgerigar breeder, he would spend hours caring for his birds. Perhaps with a different upbringing or with a more sympathetic treatment in the borstals, Mitchell could have lead a completely different life.
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Early Life
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Life of Crime
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Escape from Prison
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Level 3 writing
Introduction / Short sentences to sum up Mitchell e.g. Violent. Dangerous. Easy to anger.
Use a dropped in clause e.g. Frank Mitchell, dubbed “The Mad Axe Man”,
Early life / Start with an adverb e.g. Physically strong,
Start with a time connective e.g. From this time
Adjectives add detail e.g. violent behaviour
Life of Crime / Start with an -ed starter e.g. Impressed with his physical strength
Adjectives add detail e.g elderly couple
Write a nickname in speech marks e.g. “The Mad Axe Man”
Escape from Prison / Start with a time connective e.g. During this time,
Adjectives add detail e.g violent, unpredictable behaviour
Start with an adverb e.g. Unfortunately Mitchell had become an embarrassment
Another life? / Start with a connective e.g. Although Mitchell was violent and dangerous,
Adjectives add detail e.g violent and dangerous
Level 4 writing
Introduction / Short sentences to sum up Mitchell e.g. Violent. Dangerous. Easy to anger.
Use a dropped in clause e.g. Frank Mitchell, dubbed “The Mad Axe Man”,
Start with an -ed starter e.g. Befriended by the infamous Cray twins
Early life / Start with an adverb e.g. Physically strong,
Start with a time connective e.g. From this time
Use the passive tense e.g Mitchell would often end up being lashed
Life of Crime / Start with an -ed starter e.g. Impressed with his physical strength
Write a nickname in speech marks e.g. “The Mad Axe Man”
Use hyphens to add extra information e.g. – he could after all lift a piano over his head –
Give sufficient detail to make sure that the reader forms a picture of the incident e.g. pair of meat cleavers
Escape from Prison / Start with a time connective e.g. During this time,
Start with an adverb e.g. Unfortunately Mitchell had become an embarrassment
Use the passive tense e.g. Unfortunately Mitchell had become an embarrassment
Another life? / Start with a connective e.g. Although Mitchell was violent and dangerous,
Open up the ending to what Mitchell could have been like with a different upbringing
Level 5 writing
Introduction / Short sentences to sum up Mitchell e.g. Violent. Dangerous. Easy to anger.
Use a dropped in clause e.g. Frank Mitchell, dubbed “The Mad Axe Man”,
Start with an -ed starter e.g. Befriended by the infamous Cray twins
Use repetition for effect e.g. . It was this life of crime
Early life / Start with an adverb e.g. Physically strong,
Start with a time connective e.g. From this time
Use the passive tense e.g Mitchell would often end up being lashed
Consider using alliteration to highlight certain points e.g. his criminal career
Life of Crime / Start with an -ed starter e.g. Impressed with his physical strength
Write a nickname in speech marks e.g. “The Mad Axe Man”
Use hyphens to add extra information e.g. – he could after all lift a piano over his head –
Escape from Prison / Start with a time connective e.g. During this time,
Start with an adverb e.g. Unfortunately Mitchell had become an embarrassment
Use the passive tense e.g. Unfortunately Mitchell had become an embarrassment
Use a short sentence for effect e.g. His body was never found.
Another life? / Start with a connective e.g. Although Mitchell was violent and dangerous,
Open up the ending to what Mitchell could have been like with a different upbringing
Refer back to words used at the start of the text e.g. violent and dangerous
Level 6 writing
- Structure - controlled structure that takes into account the reader's response
- Effective opening and ending
- Paragraphs vary in shape and structure
Organise your writing around a series of relevant points e.g. Early life/Criminal career
Refer back to your opening points in the conclusion (violent/dangerous) but open up to consider wider points (e.g. how prisoners are treated in society)
Use short paragraphs for effect
- Sentence - use simple, complex and compound
- Use a range of punctuation
; are a good alternative to lots of connectives
- Style - viewpoint is sustained throughout
- Stylistic choices made to enhance writing
- Vocabulary is ambitious
Consider using the passive tense to show how Mitchell was used by others (not in control of his own destiny perhaps)
Think about using words precisely to create images for your reader e.g. Mitchell was found holding a pair of meat cleavers on an armchair across from the elderly couple