Notorious Joan Hannington's real life was darker than you think, here's the scoop on Sophie Turner's new show
LONDON, ENGLAND: Sophie Turner takes on the role of the UK's most infamous jewel thief in CW's new series 'Joan'. The six-part British crime drama created by Anna Symon is set against the backdrop of 1980s London when Joan Hannington rose to fame as "the Godmother" in the British criminal world.
The series is based on Hannigton's memoir 'I Am What I Am: The True Story of Britain’s Most Notorious Jewel Thief'. It explores her bewildering journey from housewife and mother to becoming a notorious diamond thief and criminal mastermind. Ahead of the series, here's everything you need to know about the chilling details of her life.
Joan Hannington was a victim of abuse
Hannington, born to Irish parents in 1957 in West London, was the youngest of six siblings. She and her sister had a poverty-stricken and abusive childhood. She once opened up about the torture she and her sisters suffered at the hands of their father.
“My sisters and I would be in the bath on a Saturday night and he would hold our heads down under the water until we nearly drowned. He used to beat me up on an almost weekly basis. I’d be stripped nude and beaten with a wet dishcloth or hit across the shins with a cricket bat – it was horrendous," her statement was quoted by The Sun. When she couldn't take it anymore, she ran away from the house at the ag of 13.
Joan Hannington's introduction to the world of crime
She was just 17 when she married her first husband Ray Pavey a convicted armed robber. Her marriage didn't last long and her daughter, Debbie was taken into foster care. In a desperate attempt to meet her daughter, she stole a car. Things didn't go as planned as she was caught remanded in HM Prison Holloway.
In 1979, she started working at London Jewelers but hid her criminal history. She was just 24 when she made a decision that changed her life forever. She began to steal diamonds by swallowing them.
“I just saw those diamonds, and I saw a flat and some money and getting Debbie back," she said in her memoir. However, when she realized that she wouldn't get her daughter back, she decided that she must now focus on living "a brilliant life."
At the peak of her notorious career, she had more than £800K worth of jewels hidden and buried in a biscuit tin in her garden, reported The Sun. Highlighting her wealth, she said, “I would say in the morning, ‘Let’s go to New York!’ By lunchtime, we would be sitting in first-class seats, sipping champagne, with £20,000 cash lining our pockets."
Was Joan Hannington caught for her crimes?
Hannington decided to turn around her life when her third husband died trying to burn a house down to claim insurance. She realized that she needed to do better for her three-year-old son.
She wrote in her memoir, “The money never brought me happiness. I just wanted to prove I could raise a good child in a straight world.”
Interestingly, she was never arrested for any stolen jewels. She eventually dissociated herself from the crime world and started to focus on raising her child. After years of keeping a low profile, she made news in 2002 when she published her memoir and shared the details of her life. Her memoir has now inspired ITV for a series titled 'Joan'.
How to stream 'Joan'?
Featuring Sophie Turner in the titular role, the series premiered in the United Kingdom on ITV on September 29. Viewers in the UK can stream it on ITVX. For fans based in the US, the series will be available on CW on Wednesday, October 2.
"A penniless mother makes an impulsive decision in the jewelry shop where she works, and is propelled into a different world," reads the synopsis for the series.
'Joan' trailer
