Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read (17 November 1954 – 9 October 2013) was an Australian convicted criminal, gang member and author.

[4] When he was still young,[vague] Read was already an accomplished street fighter and the leader of the Surrey Road gang, which had a notorious reputation for violence.

He later graduated to kidnapping and torturing members of the criminal underworld, often using a blowtorch or bolt cutters to remove the toes of his victims as an incentive for them to produce enough money so that Read would leave them alive.

[5] Read spent only 13 months outside prison between the ages of 20 and 38, having been convicted of crimes including armed robbery, firearm offences, assault, arson, impersonating a police officer and kidnapping.

After shots were fired, the siege was lifted when Atkinson's mother, in her dressing gown, arrived at the restaurant to act as go-between.

with a number of associates and began a serious assault on Read, who made his escape but not before smearing his faeces into Gangitano's face.

Pleading not guilty, Read was convicted of committing an unlawful act intended to cause bodily harm, a downgraded charge from attempted murder and sentenced as a "dangerous criminal" to indefinite detention.

[12] A second appeal against the sentence was argued on 28 February 1994, with Michael Hodgman, QC; Anita Betts appearing for Read and Tasmanian Director of Public Prosecutions, Damian Bugg, QC and Catherine Geason appearing for the Crown, on the grounds that it was manifestly excessive and also specifically in respect of the "dangerous criminal" declaration.

Before his death, Read admitted to having murdered Collins in his last broadcast interview on the 60 Minutes program aired on 20 October 2013.

In 1998, he turned up drunk on a live television show hosted by Elle McFeast and, to the outrage of many viewers, "gave a colourful account of feeding a man into a cement mixer".

[18] In 2005, Read embarked on a tour of Australia performing a series of shows titled I'm Innocent with Mark "Jacko" Jackson (Read's manager) and later toured Sydney in a stage show with a new co-star, former detective Roger "The Dodger" Rogerson and throughout Australia with comedian and friend Doug Chappel.

[19] Read even made regular guest appearance on Doug Chappel's Melbourne International Comedy Festival show in 2008 called 'Comics Live in your Lounge' where the two of them told stories on stage together.

In 2007, despite his apparent successes, he was forced to declare bankruptcy, which included an $80,000 credit card debt and $140,000 in private loans to 12 people.

With the advent of Chopper 5: Pulp Faction, Read began writing fictional tales based on his experiences of criminal life.

[26] Science fiction author William Gibson based a character (Keith Blackwell) in the final two books of his Bridge trilogy on Read.

[27]Jim G. Thirlwell, in his 1995 Foetus release, Gash, wrote and performed a song titled "Steal Your Life Away" which included a somewhat Read-like persona and several quotes from Read's first book, including "I'm a garbage disposal expert", "You've got to stand at the edge of the grave for the rest of your life", "Me and my mental health don't agree most times" and "Why ask why?".

The two-part miniseries focused on Read's attempts at going straight after his stint in Pentridge Prison, as well as the beginning of his writing career and his feud with Syd Collins and underworld figure Alphonse Gangitano.

[28] Read married Australian Taxation Office employee Mary-Ann Hodge in 1995 while imprisoned in Risdon Prison in Tasmania for the shooting of Sidney Collins.

[32] He underwent surgery in July 2012 to remove tumours from his liver[33] and in late September 2013 he was admitted to Melbourne Private Hospital in failing health.