Found it!

Well it only took 11 months, but I’ve found the book I was looking for after it being mentioned very briefly on TV tonight.

All info here: http://www.gyroscopes.org/propulsion.asp

The man in question is Sandy Kidd, the book – ‘BEYOND 2001 – the Laws of Physics Revolutionized’. That book (first published in 1990 by Sidgwick & Jackson – ISBN 0 283 99925 X

The story has all the frustration of a Hollywood high-tension thriller. You realise that this guy has one of the best discoveries ever, but no one will pay for the research into making it an economically viable way of travel.

If anyone know what happened next in this story, I’d love to know.