Book Title: Behind The Headline: A Gay Man’s Story of His Arrest
Author and Publisher: Dariusz Alexander
Release Date: August 31, 2023
Genres: Contemporary memoir, non-fiction, true life account
Tropes: Police procedures, gay entrapment, criminal law
Themes: Depression, self-reflection, overcoming hard times, struggling with sexuality, finding peace, maintaining dignity through integrity, equality matters
Heat Rating: 3 flames
Length: 75 pages
It is a standalone book and does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
Discover the captivating journey of a gay man unraveling the truth in “Behind The Headline”.
Get ready to be moved, inspired, and empowered.
Blurb
I was a successful gay police detective; good at my job, content with helping others, motivated by a sense of justice and trust I held both with my colleagues and ordinary people.
I always strived to be compassionate, diligent, and friendly to people around me. My future was seemingly bright.
That was until one day in March. Within five seconds, I turned my life upside down. I got arrested and was put through the criminal justice and media machine.
This is an authentic story of who I was and how I survived the most difficult period of my life.
#TrueStory #EqualityMatters #EmpoweringRead #LGBTQ #InspiringReads
Prologue
On the 7th of April 1998 one of the biggest rock stars of all time – George Michael – was arrested for lewd conduct in a public bathroom in Hollywood in a police entrapment operation.
This is a story of how 25 years later I inadvertently found myself copying my childhood idol and, in the process, I lost my successful career, got publicly humiliated and nearly lost my life.
I am not a professional writer, but I hope I did my best to describe this unlikely journey and everything that followed until the end.
It was the loneliest time of my life – I never felt more vulnerable and closer to death.
This is a true story – my story. It should show you the deepest, darkest corners of our soul being brought to light in the face of existential strive. It often seemed so easy just to give up, “sign out” and not be here anymore.
Remember that you matter the most – your life is unique. That reflection of you in the morning – you will never be the same again – cherish it. Never give up hope, hold on to it, find joy in trivial things. Never underestimate the gap you would leave in your loved one’s life if you. Just left.
Thank you for buying this novel – I hope it will give you some inspiration, hope and shine some happiness when you need it most.
PART I: Arrested and Charged
How would you ever remember five seconds of your life? Perhaps you remember the taste of your first ice cream? The first time you kissed someone, or that time someone said: “I love you”?
How about the five seconds when you turned your life upside down, when you seemingly destroyed your life? Is it even possible without anyone else being affected?
Some physics theories propose that we actually live in a multiverse – an infinite number of universes with multiple versions of you – where small decisions we make every moment led us to different outcomes.
In this part you will first read about those five seconds for me, and what happened next – how one misunderstanding brought my “downfall” and brought me to the consideration of ending my life.
Chapter One: The Arrest
Saturday 18th of March 2023 12:50 PM
I remember the coldness and tightness of the handcuffs being strapped on my hands behind my back.
“Breathe” the officer said… I could feel my entire body going numb, blood drained from my face and through the dried lips I muttered “You are ruining my life” …
I wanted to die there and then.
I could hear the beeping of the activated Body Warn Video Cameras of the two police officers. I could feel my heart beating faster and faster and my vision narrowed. Raindrops were falling on my head and as I looked around – the light seemed strangely brighter. I was now removed from what was happening but also strangely present.
My past was flashing in front of my eyes. What looked like millions of neurons were firing inside my brain as I helplessly tried to understand what was happening.
Nothing would prepare me for what was about to unfold. That morning I woke up a regular self, I shaved and showered, had my coffee and a toast…
In just a matter of seconds my life turned upside down and I felt like I was just struck with a hammer to the back of my head. As I learned later that figurative “hammer” would strike again over and over in the coming weeks and months.
I was just arrested at Hampstead Heath Park by a plain clothes police officer.
For anyone ordinary, to be arrested would be a life changing moment. There are degrees to which this affects the future depending on the nature of the transgression which has been committed and circumstances of the offence.
I knew mine will either end my life or seriously alter it in a profound way.
I was born in a small city in central Poland. In November of 2004 I emigrated to the UK and initially settled in the North of England before moving to London in 2006.
After years of struggling with my sexuality, I was able to come out as a gay man – something I would have never been able to do in Poland. For many years, I held a variety of ordinary jobs before a traumatic event in March of 2023 forced me to re-imagine my future and take on the role of a writer. “Behind The Headline” is my debut into the literary world written from the heart and with passion of someone who was in the centre of his life being turned upside down.
Author Links
Blog/Website | Amazon Author Page
