| How the hooligans were hooked |
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It was Donal MacIntyre's most dangerous assignment - to infiltrate the world of Britain's most vicious football hooligans, organised through a sophisticated network.
He and his colleagues targeted the Chelsea Headhunters. MacIntyre posed as a drug dealer to win the confidence of Jason Marriner, after sources told them that he was a member of the gang. He also got himself a Chelsea tattoo to make his disguise more convincing. During the investigation, MacIntyre offered to drive Marriner to an away game in Leicester. He had told the reporter it was "going to be naughty". 'Very, very scared' On the day of the match, Marriner's friend, Andrew Frain, also turned up for the ride. MacIntyre told the court that he had recognised Frain from a police photofit and had been "very, very scared" that a man of his reputation had got into the car. Their journey was filmed by a secret camera in the dashboard and was at the heart of the prosecution's case. The two men were shown helping to coordinate about 150 other Chelsea hooligans as they travelled up the M1 for a fight with rival Leicester fans. MacIntyre said he had no doubt Frain and Marriner were organising violence that day. When they arrived at the meeting point, the police were already there and their plans for a fight were scuppered. Auschwitz visit The programme also exposed the two men's links with extreme right wing groups. The jury saw scenes from a Bloody Sunday march in London which Frain and Marriner tried to attack. Marriner was also seen boasting about a trip that he made with Frain to Auschwitz, and how he had reduced a Polish visitor to tears after climbing into one of the gas chambers. The defence claimed that Marriner and Frain were simply trying to impress their new friend with the stories of football violence, and that Mr MacIntyre was a fake, a cheat and a liar. Marriner and Frain denied the charges. But the jury did not believe them.
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