The untold story of the Sayers brothers' rise to the top of the criminal ladder is laid bare in a new book.
Operation Sayers uses unseen court documents, statements and interview recordings to explore the notorious family's past, and police's attempts to bring them down.
The book was penned by close family friend Steve Wraith, who spent two years pouring over hundreds of Stephen Sayers files and depositions.
It explores the lives of Stephen and his brothers John Henry and Michael, from childhood in Newcastle's West End, when they became known as 'The Elswick Mafia Boys', right up to the present day.
Former doorman, Steve explained: "This is a book about the family, but it is my book and I have written it alone.
"Stephen hasn't given me any guidance, they have literally given me the opportunity to go and look at the depositions and make my own mind up. It is my first attempt at a book that is based on investigative journalism.
"It covers their early days and it brings the Sayers story bang up to date."
Operation Sayers includes the behind the scenes story of the now notorious violent £350,000 wages robbery at Pritchard’s security firm in Gateshead, for which John Henry was jailed.
Stephen's time spent on the run in Blackpool and Tenerife after 'Britain's biggest Post Office robbery', in Sunderland in 1987, for with John Henry was charged but later acquitted of is also revealed.
Operation Sayers then takes the reader right through the family's history, including the shooting of the brothers' dad John Brian Sayers, their relationship with shot hardman Viv Graham and murdered Peter Beaumont-Gowling.
The book then brings the Sayers' story right up to date with a look at the fallout of the 2015 shooting outside Newcastle's Tup Tup Palace nightclub, and 'Operation Insight' which it is claimed was an operation to get the Sayers family behind bars for a long time.
Steve, from Dunston, Gateshead, said: "Stephen and John gave us access to the depositions from years of court cases and I found them fascinating. I spent the best part of two years going through them."
The book is a follow up to Stephen's autobiography, The Sayers, Tried and Tested at the Highest Level, which was released in 2015.
In the book's foreword, Stephen Sayers, said: "There is no better person to write a book about my family than Stevie Wraith. "He has known me and my brothers for the best part of 25 years now and we all trust him like a brother.
"I was over the moon with my first book ‘Tried and Tested’ and I am sure this book will satisfy the curiosity the reader has about us bad boys.
"I gave Stevie access to hundreds of my old files and depositions and he has worked his way through them to produce this book. I just wanted the chance for people to read about these cases from our side of the story."
Operation Sayers is available now on Kindle and at WH Smiths and The Back Page shop, in Newcastle.
