London Fields brewer ‘regrets’ cocaine dealing

The ex-convict owner of hip London brewery London Fields – which counts several A-list celebrities as firm fans – has said he regrets his role in a cocaine supply network and vows to pay his £3.2 million debt.

Jules Whiteway-Wilkinson, of London Fields Brewey (Photo: London Fields)

Jules Whiteway-Wilkinson, owner of the brewery that creates hipster favourites like Love Not War and Hackney Hopster pacific pale ale, said that he has turned his life around since his sensational arrest and 5-year jail term between 2004 and 2009.

He told the Evening Standard that he was determined to repay the £3.2m in damages ordered by the court, and make a success of his brewery as a “law-abiding” and “responsible member of society”.

“I made some pretty poor decisions. If I could turn back the clock I would. I deeply regret the hurt and pain and selfish actions that I did,” the 42-year-old ex-public schoolboy said. “I’m numbed by my own idiocy. But I’ve come out of prison and I’m determined to… do the right thing.”

However, Whiteway-Wilkinson has not been far from trouble recently, having been arrested in December for the alleged non-payment of VAT at the brewery, with investigations ongoing. He denies wrongdoing.

But the business still counts some famous names as supportive fans, such as Twilight star Robert Pattinson and former Friends actor David Schwimmer, who partied at London Fields for New Year’s Eve, according to ES.

On his decision to set up the brewery following his release from jail, he said, “I spent quite a long time in prison and it gave me the opportunity to think about my life. It was quite a shock. A very distressing time. But it was an opportunity when I came out to make a go of my life.

“That’s why I set up the brewery: because I want to pay off the confiscation order and because I want to have responsibility towards my wife, who’s suffered considerably, and be a responsible member of society.”