This is indeed the way I have been told it from various quarters (a journo I vaguely used to know, some Scousers I'm acquainted with who were there in both '84 AND '85 and via other retropective media and eye-witness accounts I have read).
Scarfed renegade 'slashers' on mopeds was (and still...
The comments section of that Echo article is predominantly tedious but does contain this little gem (and I do believe he is serious!!!!!):
"radioman, westcliff-on-sea says...
6:04pm Sat 17 Apr 10
Do we realy need to import thugs? Our home-grown ones are quite enough to deal with. Closing the...