Former officer's prison single release

Nigel Creswick, previously a uniformed officer based at Sheffield South, was convicted of tax fraud in 2011 and sentenced to ten years and three months in prison.

For the first two years of his sentence, Nigel - who goes by Cranni - had to be confined to his wing for his own safety, given his former policing career, and has revealed he kept himself sane by writing songs.

“My guitar became my best friend in prison,” he said.

During his time at HMP Hatfield Open prison, where he is currently being held, Nigel says he received tremendous support for his songwriting, playing at numerous prison events, and was even allowed to record a song for the Koestler Trust - the ‘Arts for Offenders’ charity.

In 2016 Cranni won Koestler Gold in the original singer-songwriter category, and performed one of his original songs, ‘We All Fall Down,’ live in London to an invited audience.

His first single, ‘Always There’ will be released this month, on March 29 - the same day that Nigel is due to be released from Open prison.

A spokesman for Ct20 Media said: “For both these reasons, March 29 is clearly a hugely significant date for Cranni. The track, Always There, is based on a poem that Cranni wrote for his wife while he was in prison. It was recorded at MU Studios in Sheffield earlier this year.

“Cranni intends to launch a music career.”

Visit www.cranni.co.uk to find out more about where you can buy Cranni’s first single.