Raised amidst the beauty, solitude and timeless calm of England’s Lake District, Malcolm Kat’s early life was shaped by a natural serenity – an experience that sharply contrasted to the colourful and often turbulent path his life would later take. At just fifteen, Malcolm entered military service, beginning a journey through some of Britain’s most demanding environments.
Leaving military life behind him in his twenties, he transitioned into the vibrant world of the nightlife and hospitality industry. Trained in management and marketing by both Ladbrokes and The Rank Organisation Malcolm thrived in the high-pressure, hands-on environments of cabaret clubs, nightclubs, banqueting suites and other late-night enterprise.
The gradual erosion of these night time attractions, caused by the blossoming of TV and home entertainment eventually led Malcolm to transfer his skill set across to the pub trade in all its guises. From food-led to family orientated businesses, to the chaotic world of often violent, town and city drink led establishments Malcolm dealt with them all, navigating the world of British social culture in all its many facets, always drawing on his military background and management training.
Throughout all these diverse roles, one constant remained: people. Male and female, rich and poor, good and bad, even the disenfranchised, Malcolm engaged with them all-up close and personal and with a genuine empathy. A natural communicator and people person, he has always been on the front lines of human experience.
Malcolm started writing back in the 1980’s, encouraged by the late Verity Lambert of the then Euston Films and celebrated producer of the very popular TV series, Minder. She saw in him a rare voice capable of capturing the gritty, often hidden truths of British life. Malcolm began transforming his lived experience into compelling non-fiction and fiction.
In later years, with his children grown up and his marriage behind him, Malcolm decided to give back to the community, whilst pursuing his writing. He became a council appointed, Contract Remand Carer, a specialist cog in a local authorities care system providing close supervision and care to behaviourally challenged teen and pre-teen boys in fight or flight crisis. Over a four year period he supported 45 such multi-placements – bringing calm, structure and compassion to some of the area’s most at risk youth.
An unexpected whistle-blow by Malcolm exposed institutional secrecy, failings and promptly bought his role to an abrupt and premature end with swift and heartless retaliation.
Malcolm’s debut book, The Law of the Jungle, is more than personal testimony-it’s a social reckoning that present’s the reader with a blistering first-hand account of the dysfunctional, corrupt and institutional failures that he experienced in his fight for justice, as he progressed through the machinery of council, courts, police and judiciary. All the time acting as his own legal advocate as a litigant in person without legal representation.
He brings a rare combination of authenticity, raw experience and a fearless voice, whilst his book will stand as a searing indictment of systemic failure on a blockbuster scale, an expose of power without accountability, written with unfiltered honesty and a deep sense of injustice. And it’s all unflinchingly true and accountable.
Have you experienced injustice at the hands of the system ? Use the contact page on this website to make contact with Malcolm