Bingley-born John Bosomworth has been likened to 007 agent James Bond. In an action-packed life that reads like a novel, he has run his own business, served as a magistrate, spent a spell behind bars, worked as an arms dealer, shot guns for his country and entered the shady world of intelligence. He has moved in circles that would unnerve most people. Now he has drawn on his experiences to write a page-turning thriller. Helen Mead spoke to him about his life-on-the-edge.

MOORED IN an idyllic cove on the sun-kissed Majorcan coast, John Bosomworth relaxes on board his yacht.

He describes the scene over the telephone - waves gently lapping, sky blue, sea even bluer. It befits to a T, a man whose life has been one of adventure, glamour and intrigue.

The high-life, the low-life, triumphs and traumas - John has been through it all since his early years growing up in Bingley. Although, even as a child, he offered a taste of what was to come.

By the tender age of four he had learned to ride and by the time he was 12 was seen regularly out hunting with his parents. Once, the young lad's pony jumped a huge ditch that even one of the masters of the hunt was reluctant to tackle. John, who went to Bingley's Heatherbank School, offered to jump back and guide him over.

After studying psychology in Leeds, John joined the family business, The Ideal Bakery off Wakefield Road, Bradford, where his father perfected the sliced loaf.

When the company was bought by Spillers, he moved into the motor trade in Skipton, where he started his own garage and vehicle rental business, building up a small chain of five garages.

To promote the business, John took up motor racing, with some success. But his days on the racing circuit were cut short when he was badly injured in a crash. He broke both ankles, damaged his back and had splints inserted in a leg. "It was a serious crash and led me to retire from the hobby," he says.

John returned to another pastime he had been drawn to as a youngster - shooting. From an early age he was brought up with sporting guns and rifles, and quickly became an expert in the field.

Based at his home, the splendid Beamsley Estate near Skipton, he became an international shot and arms dealer, spending time overseas striking deals with some of the world's finest gun manufacturers. His skills in clay pigeon shooting won him a place in the British, English and county teams.

"I travelled around the world competing," he recalls, "I enjoyed the competition and excitement of the sport."

Retiring from competition after 12 years, John set up a shooting school at Beamsley, where he also learned falconry.

It was during this time that he became caught up in the world that was to become the background for his writing - that of intelligence. John used and sold surveillance and spy equipment, yet is reluctant to give details on exactly when, where and to whom. "I've been involved in the world of espionage - electronic surveillance, and bugging, but won't expand on that," he says, adding, "I'm aware that what I've written about is a touchy subject. In those circles you have to be 'aware' of what you say and do. Anyone who has done what I have done would say the same."

Because his book, Carlos II, is based on events in real-life, John - who is also a qualified diver and helicopter pilot - realises that there is a chance the people he had dealt with may recognise themselves. "A lot of it is based on fact. Most books about the underworld of the spy network have a lot of truth in them - people will recognise the situations, hotels and locations."

For that reason he wrote the book under a pseudonym - his grandfather's name, James Hayward-Searle. But, as the publicity machine set in motion, the cat was soon out of the bag. "It's been a nonsense, because everyone knows who I am. I would have preferred to do this quietly."

In John's thriller, the Carlos II of the title is an unknown Spanish cargo freighter apparently exporting wheat from Russia. The suspicions of MI6 agent 'J' are aroused and, in the Mediterranean setting, an explosive adventure unfolds.

John, 54, began the book in early 1994 while diving in the Indian Ocean, but, with a busy life as a Skipton magistrate, he found it hard to find time to finish it. Two years later, the opportunity presented itself - but not in a way that John would have chosen.

A drink-driving incident led to him being jailed and, locked away, he had more than enough time to put pen to paper. "Most of it was on tape before I went in. I committed an offence, and it was a stupid thing to do, but in some respects being jailed was a lucky break because it gave me the opportunity to put the book together."

Not that life inside was cushy - far from it. Says John: "Within the first 24 hours I had death threats against me. The other inmates knew I was a magistrate and used to push notes under my door saying, 'You are going to die.'

But there were those who also came to his door with their problems, asking for advice.

He feels the 15-month experience - he served time in Armley, Leeds, in Birmingham and Sudbury, Derbyshire - made him a harder, but better person. "Having a complete, inside view made me a lot more understanding, in particular towards the underprivileged."

His stint, as he says, "in the slammer," where he wrote for the prison magazine, also led to another book, A Magistrate in Disgrace, as yet unpublished.

John was delighted when Carlos II was accepted for publication. "I was shocked too - it's something I've always wanted to do and would have done this from the outset if I'd known I had even slight ability."

With the thriller about to hit the bookshops, he is now writing what he describes as his best work to date, No Replacement, the sequel to Carlos ll, again based on the work of MI6.

He laughs off personal comparisons with James Bond - "I'm similar in stature, that's all" - but admits that the central character in his book, 'J,' is similar in that he's "a bon viveur who knows and loves the London night life."

John, who is divorced - "emotionally that was far worse than jail" - shares his life with his girlfriend, also from Yorkshire.

The pair are converting a 400-year-old farm in the Majorcan hills, while continuing to live on the yacht. It seems like a charmed life, and John admits he has been fortunate. "I've had a very interesting life and been in various positions which have enabled me to do exciting things."

But it's not all cocktails on the sun-kissed deck of his yacht. "It's not a decadent lifestyle. I work like hell."

He enjoys the Spanish climate, its people and the caf lifestyle. He rarely visits Bradford - where he once applied for a job on the T&A, but when he does come over, his first port of call is one of the city's famous curry houses. "I miss the Bradford curries, although luckily we do have a Nawaab here in Majorca."

CARLOS II is available from Pentland Press, price £11.50. Tel. 01388 776555 or visit the web site www.spythriller.com

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