'Nobody threatens my family, I don't care... so I've done what I've done'
Dougie Joyce was jailed in November 2023 after admitting repeatedly punching the 78-year-old victim in the back room of a Thomas Street pub in the city.
After he was sent down for 19 months for GBH, police described him as an 'aggressive and violent man who intended to intimidate and inflict pain on a vulnerable 78-year-old,' reports The Manchester Evening News.
CCTV showed the then 35-year-old, who was wearing a large gold ring, launch the sickening attack before encouraging his dad to join in. But in an interview with the Criminal Connection podcast released this week, the businessman and former bare-knuckle boxer said he had no regrets.
"I never regret anything I do in life," he told host Terry Stone. "I regret being in that situation. But I don't regret anything I do because everything I do is for a reason."
Describing the vicious assault as 'just one of them moments inside of a pub', he said the victim had insulted his father John Joyce, who was given a community order for his part in the attack, and 'threatened his family'.
Joyce added: "The bottom line of the story is my father knocked him spark out 35 years ago. That was it.
"But what it was, he was holding a grudge against my father. He's obviously not got over it. There was a little bit of commotion. And then he got very abusive coming out with his name calling and then he just took it one step too far.
"He threatened my family. Nobody threatens my family. I don't care who you are. Obviously I've got drink in my system and I'm an alpha male and the thing is I'll always protect my family.
"So, I've done what I've done and at the end of the day, I've paid the price, been to jail. It's the past. I put it behind me. It is what it is."
Joyce also told how he was arrested at Dublin Airport following the attack. And he boasted of being being asked for selfies and autographs while serving his sentence in Strangeways and Forest Bank.
"It was plain sailing," he said of his time in prison. "Just kept my head down, got on with it, done my gym, met a few nice fellas in there. I know a lot of people anyways from inside out and there was no issues whatsoever."
The infamous hardman, who appeared in the The Joyce Family Documentary on Amazon and reportedly turned down a role in Channel 4's My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding to become 'the next Tyson Fury', has several convictions for violence.
In May last year, he was jailed for 13 months after a feud between the Joyces and members of the Doherty family exploded in violence at a wake at The Vine pub in Collyhurst in inner city Manchester.
Last month, he was in the headlines again after posing with Liz Truss to promote his new line of whiskey. In a clip shared on his Instagram page, Joyce hands the former PM a bottle of the spirit saying, 'Just remember - Dougie Joyce loves ya', with Truss then adding 'Liz Truss loves you'.
The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
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I was absolutely convinced. 15 A pair of clamps similar to the ones used by Gustavson to perform his castrations Credit: wikipedia 'Then the next week, he said, 'Hey, we'll castrate you then'. And so we started planning.' Michael went up to London and met Marius in his flat. He got himself strapped down and took some drugs, at which point Marius fetched his instrument of choice - a pair of clamps normally used to castrate farm animals - all while the camera was pointed towards him. 'Never in my darkest dreams had I thought about those,' Michael continued. 'The pain was something else. But instead of calling for a stop to it, I just asked for more drugs. After an hour with the blood supply cut off, both his testicles were dead. Now back home, they had swelled up to the size of a melon. What is gender dysphoria? GENDER dysphoria is a psychological condition characterised by distress or discomfort that arises when there is a difference between a person's gender identity and their sex assigned from birth. This condition can cause severe emotional and psychological distress, impacting an individual's well-being and quality of life. Sometimes, these feelings can cause individuals to feel a sense of shame or self-hatred towards certain parts of their body - often the genitalia, as this is the part of the body most strongly associated with one's sex. Gender dysphoria is also not always as simple as someone feeling as if they ought to have been born the opposite gender. Sometimes it manifests itself as more general feeling of sexual and gender confusion, without any clear "solution." Therapy and other psychological interventions are often used to help individuals for whom their gender dysphoria is impacting their quality of life. Find out more at 'I remember lying in bed, in absolute agony, as the video was posted. Then the messages started coming: 'So cool', 'So hot'. 'A little eunuch badge appeared on my profile because I'd had a verified castration. 'The absolute celebration of it all - it was wonderful. It gave my profile clout. 'It was like fine, I'm committed now, so I agreed to have everything off.' Perverted accomplices Though the mastermind behind the website, Marius didn't always work alone. One, Damien Byrnes, had threatened to go to the police after never receiving money he had been promised for removing his penis - but was blackmailed into backing down with a video that showed him mutilating Marius. Another was a man called David Carruthers. Having worked for the NHS, he convinced Michael that he would be able to safely remove his dead testicles - despite not actually holding any medical qualifications. 15 David Carruthers convinced Michael that he would be able to safely remove his testicles Credit: Metropolitan Police 15 Jacob Crimi-Appleby, 23, was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison Credit: PA 15 Nathan Arnold, 48, was given a two year suspended sentence for partially removing Gustavson's right nipple Credit: PA Michael, Marius and David then rented an AirBnB in which they were to perform the operation. But it was to lead to the Eunuch Maker's downfall. Lying on a bed with forceps hanging off him, Michael finally realised the terrible mistake he had made. 'At that point I'd realised how much damage Gustavson had done to me,' Michael recalled. 'I'd realised he had been talking bulls*** so much up until that point. I started to see that he was just a butcher. 'I remember lying on the bed... thinking I don't care if I live or die, I just want to hurt him. 'Sure enough, he was out of there before I could stand up - all his camera equipment packed up and he had p**sed off.' I remember him saying, 'If we don't do this, you'll be really disappointed. You were born to do this' Anonymous victim Despite his ordeal, Michael never received any of the money he had been promised. His counsellor gave him an ultimatum - either Michael had to go to the police, or they would - so eventually he told them everything. The subsequent police raid in 2021 uncovered hours of gruesome footage dating back seven years. No choice But while Marius did put pressure on his victims to undergo castration, many hold zero regrets about what they went through. Unable to go through the NHS, Marius was the only way they could overcome their feelings of self-hatred. One anonymous man who spoke to Theroux told of how for a long time he had struggled with his sexuality, harbouring a deep desire to rid himself of his testicals. After joining the website and having a few meetings with Marius, he agreed to have a testicle removed. 15 Retired chemist Peter Wates removed a man's testicle in a hotel room, while Gustavson filmed Credit: Metropolitan Police 15 Damien Byrnes, 36, from Tottenham, was sentenced to five years in prison Credit: PA 15 HMP Wandsworth, where Gustavson was held after pleading guilty Credit: Getty 'He never did anything against my will, but he did put pressure on me,' he said. 'I remember him saying, 'If we don't do this, you'll be really disappointed. You were born to do this.'' He later met with Marius and an accomplice called Peter Wates to finish the job. 'I was delighted,' he continued. 'I have an enduring sense of gratitude to Marius for helping me reach a position that medically in the UK isn't possible.' Edward, who was castrated in 2017, had originally been sympathetic towards Marius. But this sympathy evaporated after he attended the sentencing. 'I shall always worry that Marius used a video of my procedure to persuade someone else to do something they didn't really want to do,' he said. Marius himself had earned over £300,000 from his website. He was charged with multiple counts of grievous bodily harm, possession of extreme pornography, and for making an indecent image of a child. The court sentenced him to life in prison, to serve a minimum of 22 years. The botched operations nearly led to the deaths of three men, with the judge describing his actions as little short of human butchery. A further nine accomplices were also charged and sentenced. If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
