In a wild confrontation straight out of a hard-hitting gangster movie, a former Liverpool crime enforcer known as Britain's scariest debt collector unleashed his infamous temper on two hulking bodybuilders caught peddling illegal steroids in his own gym.
Shaun Smith, once a feared enforcer for one of Merseyside's biggest crime families, made headlines years ago for his no-holds-barred approach to 'debt collection' after serving time behind bars. But this explosive incident, captured in a Vice documentary more than a decade ago and now going viral once again, shows the tough-talking hardman in full intimidating form.
Wearing a white towel draped over his shoulders like a prize fighter, the stocky Smith, far smaller than his two towering opponents, stormed into a tense office showdown at Muscle House Gym in Warrington.'You know me. I don't give a shit, I don't take shit,' he snarled, according to footage from the encounter.
Moments later, he delivered a stinging slap across the face of one of the bodybuilders, a heavily tattooed man in a grey vest, before unleashing a barrage of threats and demands. 'Don't f***ing lie to me!' he bellowed, pointing aggressively as the pair cowered under his furious gaze.
The two men, described as 'big lads' built like tanks from years of pumping iron, looked visibly shaken as Smith accused them of dealing 'gear' (steroids) right under his nose in the gym he was trying to run as a legitimate business.
One of the bodybuilders attempted to explain himself, but Smith was having none of it. 'You've been giving him gear... I'm shocked at you for selling f***ing gear,' he raged, before making his position crystal clear.
In a move that has left viewers divided between calling it 'old-school justice' and outright 'extortion', Smith then 'taxed' the pair a grand each, demanding they hand over cash as punishment for dealing on his turf.
The sit-down 'meeting' ended with an agreement – but not before Smith claimed he ended up £3,500 out of pocket in the resolution. One of the dealers, the man in red, was later revealed to have been selling behind Smith's back all along before doing a runner.
Smith's colourful past is the stuff of underworld legend. Ten years before the documentary, he was embroiled in a violent war with rival drug gangs in Liverpool. He reportedly introduced 'urban terrorism' to the British underworld, spraying houses with machine guns, torturing enemies, and even using homemade napalm in firebomb attacks.
After five years in prison for firearms offences, he attempted to go straight, channelling his fearsome reputation into a debt collection business operating out of the gym, which he billed as a community hub for local lads.
But as this fiery clip proves, old habits die hard. Smith has spoken in later interviews about the infamous slap, defending his zero-tolerance stance on dealing in his gym while trying to build something positive.
