Hell: A Prison Diary Part 18

By now I was six foot one and weighed 190 pounds, so didn't find it difficult to get a job in security, which is so often on the fringes of crime.

In 1980, at the age of eighteen, I met my future wife, who had no idea what my real job was, or that for twelve years I had been s.e.xually abused. During the next five years, we had two sons, and twelve years later in 1997, we decided to get married.

I was already earning a good living as a criminal, and everything went well until I was arrested in 1997 for DSS fraud. I had been making false claims in several names for several years, to the tune of 2.8 million, for which I received a three year sentence, which caused my marriage to be put off.

During my time in jail, I began by letter and telephone, to let my wife know that I had for sometime been involved in a life of crime. But it wasn't until I was released that I revealed to her any details of the s.e.xual abuse I had been put through. Her reaction was immediate and hostile. She was disgusted, and reviled, and said she couldn't understand why I hadn't reported these men to the authorities. What authorities were there for me to report to? 'I was only nine years old when it all began. After all it was the authorities who were b.u.g.g.e.ring me,' I told her, 'and by the age of eighteen, when I was no longer of any use to them, they threw me out onto the streets'

She couldn't come to terms with it So I was rejected once again, and this time it was by someone I cared for, which made it far worse. She described me as a filthy person, who allowed dirty old men to rape me, because I wanted love and affection. There was no way I could begin to make her understand.

By being open and honest, I had lost the one person I truly loved. My life had been ruined by these evil men, and now they had even robbed me of my wife and two children.

All I now wanted was to kill the five monsters who were responsible, and then die in the hands of the police.

There were five paedophiles who had taken away my life, so I planned to take away theirs. I quickly discovered that two of them had already died, so there were only three left for me to deal with.

Their names were ***, **** and *****

I carefully planned how I would kill them, and then later die in the hands of the police I drove down toand kidnapped *** and brought him back to, leaving him at my flat with three friends, who agreed to guard him while I returned to the coast to pick up *****. I then planned to go ontoand collect **** and bring them both back to.

I arrived back inat one-thirty in the afternoon, when *****'s next door neighbour told me that I had just missed him. I phonedto warn them that I would be late, because I couldn't risk grabbing him in broad daylight. It was then that they told me the news. They had already killed ***.

I was enraged. I've always been a cold person emotionally, but I cried on the journey back to London, because I had wanted to kill *** myself. I had needed to cleanse myself of these three evil men, and all I had now was a dead body on my hands and three terrified a.s.sociates.

I drove back to, breaking the speed limit most of the way. On arrival, I cleaned all the finger-prints from my flat and told the others that I would deal with ***** and **** in my own way.

That was when the police burst in; twenty-four armed officers pinned the three of us to the ground, handcuffed and arrested me.

I discovered later that ***** had already phoned the police and told them he feared for his life. I gave my solicitor all the details, and he said that because I was in Hastings at the time of ***'s death, they wouldn't charge me with murder, but they could charge me with conspiracy to murder. They charged me with murder, and I was sentenced to a minimum of twenty-two years.

Yes, I am doing a twenty-two year sentence for a crime I didn't commit. I only wish I had, and I also wish I had killed **** and ***** at the same time.

I am now a Listener at Belmarsh and feel useful for the first time in my life. I know I've saved one life, and hopefully helped many others.

My demons still haunt me, of course they do, but I somehow keep them at bay. I won't complete my twenty-two year sentence, but I will choose the time and manner of my death*

It's only shame that prevents me from contacting anyone I know. A feeling of worthlessness, a dirty little rent boy that allowed older men to use, beat and abuse him, because he needed to be loved, and no longer cared what happened to him. How can I ever expect my wife, my children, or my family to understand?

I hope by telling this story, I may save someone else from the horror I've been put through, so that that person will never be visited by the same demons, and worse, will not end up in jail on a charge of murder.

11.23 pm.

I go to bed asking myself should the man known as Fletch have to spend the rest of his life in jail? If the answer is yes, don't we perhaps have some responsibility to the next generation, to ensure that there aren't other children whose lives will end by the age of nine?

Day 20 - Tuesday 7 August 2001.

6.16 am.

I have a better night's sleep. Perhaps Fletch's allowing his story to be committed to paper has helped. I write for two hours.

8.00 am.

Breakfast. Frosties and the last dribble from the second carton of long-life milk. Not quite enough left to soak my cereal. Canteen provisions due in today, and as I'm leaving on Thursday I will be able to repay all my bubbles: Del Boy (water and biscuits), Tony (Mars Bar), and Colin (stamps, twelve firstcla.s.s).

10.00 am.

a.s.sociation. I am strolling around the ground floor, when I notice that one of the prisoners, Joseph (murder), is playing pool.

He's by far the best player on the spur and occasionally clears the table. This morning he's missing simple shots that even I would sink. I lean against the wall and watch him more carefully. He has that distant look on his face, so common among lifers.

When the match is over and the cues have been pa.s.sed on to waiting inmates, I comment on his standard of play. I think the word I select is rubbish.

'I've got something on my mind, Jeff,' he says, still distant.

'Anything I can help with?' I ask.

'No thanks, it's a family matter.'

11.00 am I see that my name is chalked up on the board for a legal visit from my solicitor, Tony Morton-Hooper.

Over the years I have found that professional relationships fall into two categories.

The ones that remain professional, and the ones when you become friends. Tony falls firmly into the second category. We have a mutual love of athletics he has represented many track stars over the years and despite a considerable age difference, we relax in each other's company.

We meet up in one of those small rooms where I come in from one side and am locked in, and moments later he enters by a door on the opposite side, and is also locked in. The first thing I notice is that Tony is wearing a thick yellow rubber band around his wrist; it will allow him to eventually escape, but for the next hour he is also incarcerated.

Tony begins by telling me that Wayland Prison is certain to be a far more relaxed regime than Belmarsh, and as good a place as any to be until I am reinstated as a Category D prisoner. I ask Tony what the latest is on that subject.

'It's all good news,' he tells me. 'The media have worked out that you have nothing to answer, and we've been through your files and they show the matter was raised in Parliament in 1991 when Lynda Chalker was Overseas Development Minister and she gave a robust reply. She also wrote you a long letter on the subject at the time.' He slides both the letter and the Parliamentary reply across the table.

'Was Ms Nicholson an MP then?' I ask.

'She most certainly was,' says Tony, 'and more importantly, a full investigation was carried out by the Foreign Office, so we're sending all the relevant papers to the police and pointing out that a second inquiry would be an irresponsible waste of public money.'

'So can I sue her for libel?' I ask.

'Not yet,' he replies. 'I talked to the police yesterday, and although they will not release a copy of the letter she sent to them, they made it clear that the accusations were such that they had no choice but to follow them up.'

'If we issue a writ, will she have to release that letter?'

'Yes. It would automatically become part of the evidence.'

'Then we must have grounds to sue her.'

'Not yet,' Tony repeats. 'Let's wait for the police to drop their inquiry before we take any further action. And that could be quite soon, as Radio 4's Today Programme have been in touch with Mary. Their research team are also convinced that you have no case to answer, and they want her to appear on the programme.'

'Of course they do,' I say, 'because all they'll want to talk to her about is my appeal.'

'As long as she doesn't discuss the case while an appeal is pending, I'm in favour of her doing the interview.'

'She could of course quote from Lynda Chalker's letter and the Parliamentary reply,'

I suggest.

'Why not?' says Tony. 'But let's proceed slowly, step by step.'

'Not something I'm good at,' I admit. 'I prefer proceeding quickly, leap by leap.'

Tony then removes some papers from his briefcase, and tells me that the appeal will be officially lodged tomorrow. I have to sign an agreement to appeal against sentence, and another against conviction.

Tony would give me a fifty-fifty chance of having the verdict overturned if it were not for the 'Archer' factor. 'If you weren't involved it would be thrown out without a second thought. There wouldn't even have been a trial in the first place.' He puts the odds even higher on getting the sentence reduced. Mr Justice Potts's comment that mine was the worst example of perjury he had ever known has been greeted by the legal profession with raised eyebrows.*

We then turn to the subject of the prison diary, of which I have now completed fifty thousand words, and I warn him that it's going to come as a shock to most of my regular readers. He asks how I'm getting the script through to Alison, remembering this is the tightest-security prison in Europe. I remind him that I am still receiving two to three hundred letters a day, and the censors allow me to turn them round and send them back to my office the following morning, so another ten handwritten pages aren't causing the censor any concern.

'Which reminds me,' I continue, 'could you ask James to wear a cheap watch the next time he visits me, and then I can exchange my Longines.' I hadn't for a moment imagined I would end up in prison, so I was wearing my favourite watch on the day of the verdict, and after twenty years I'd be sorry if it was stolen. James has hankered after it for some time and has already asked me to leave it to him in my will (mercenary brat). 'Will can have the rest of the estate as long as I can have the watch,' James insists. Longines have stopped making that particular slim model. Nevertheless, William had agreed to the deal as he considers the overall arrangement very satisfactory.

'I think you'd better wait until you've left Belmarsh before you start swapping watches,' advises Tony. 'And then only when you can be sure that the regulations are a little more relaxed.'

We complete all legal matters, and as he can't escape until the hour is up, we turn our thoughts to the World Athletics Championships in Edmonton, where I had hoped to be spending my summer holiday with Michael Beloff.* Tony tells me the fant-astic news that Jonathan Edwards has taken the gold in the triple jump.

'He won easily,' Tony adds, 'clearing nearly eighteen metres. He's so relaxed since his gold in Sydney that I doubt if he will be beaten before the next Olympics at Athens in 2004, and even Mr Justice Potts won't be able to stop you being there to witness that.'

When the prison officer returns to open the door on Tony's side of the room, I leave him in no doubt that the number one priority is sorting out the Kurdish debacle, so that my D-cat can be reinstated as quickly as possible. I also add that I do not require any lawyers to travel to Norfolk at vast expense.

They can relay messages through Mary, who's as bright as any of them. Tony smiles, agrees and shakes hands. He has the hands of a heavyweight boxer, and I suspect he'd survive well in prison. They release him, but as I don't have a yellow band around my wrist, I slump back into the seat on the other side of the table and wait.

12 noon In the lunch queue always a great place to catch up on the gossip Fletch briefs me on Joseph's problem. I now understand why he couldn't pot a ball on the pool table this morning. When I reach the hotplate, Tony recommends the 'spaghetti vegetarian', which is disguised to look like bolognaise.

'Au gratin?' I suggest.

'Of course, my Lord. Liam, fetch his lordship the grated Parmesan.' A small plastic packet of grated cheese is produced from under the hotplate, opened in front of the duty officer and sprinkled over my spaghetti. This is greeted with a huge round of applause from the prisoners and laughter from the officers. In a lifer's day, this is an event Back in my cell I enjoy the dish, but then it is my twentieth day on prison rations. I've been able to take another notch in on my belt. So I reckon I've lost about half a stone.

2.00 pm When the cell door is opened again, I dash down to the middle level, already dressed in my gym kit, and keep running on the spot by the barred gate. This time I am ticked off the select list of eight from our spur. After a search followed by a route march to another part of the building I've never been to before we arrive in a changing room where we are all supplied with a light blue singlet and dark blue shorts. This, I a.s.sume, is just in case any prisoner has spent time at both Oxford and Cambridge.

The gym is divided into two sections. The larger room is the size of a basketball court, where twelve of the prisoners play six-a-side football. We currently have one former a.r.s.enal and Brentford player residing at Belmarsh. There is also a weight-lifting room, about a third of the size of the basketball court, where forty-seven sweaty, tattooed, rippling muscled youths pump iron, so that when they get out of here they will be even more capable of causing grievous bodily harm.

The room is so packed that you can't move more than a few feet without b.u.mping into someone. There are two running machines, two rowing machines and two step machines, in which the younger prisoners show scant interest. I do a six-minute warm-up on the running machine at five miles an hour, which affords me an excellent view of what's going on in the centre of the room. The fortyseven fit young men are pumping weights, not a pretty sight, especially as most of them are simply on an ego trip to establish their status among the other prisoners on the block. I wonder how many of them have worked out that Fletch, Tony, Billy and Del Boy carry the most influence on our spur, and not one of them would be able to locate the gym.

Once I've completed 2,000 metres on the rower in nine minutes, I move on to some light weight-training, before doing another ten minutes on the running machine at eight miles an hour. While I'm running, I begin to notice that many of the lifers have a poor posture. Their backs are not straight, and they swing their shoulders when lifting heavy weights rather than use their arm muscles properly. The two officers in charge can't do much more than keep an eye on what's going on in both rooms. It would be far more sensible to have three sessions of gym each day, with fewer bodies present, then the coach would be able to fulfil a more worthwhile role than just acting as a babysitter. I put this suggestion to one of the officers, and once again they fall back on 'staff shortages'.

After ten minutes on the running machine, I return to the weights before ending on the step machine. When the officer bellows out, 'Last five minutes,' I move on to stretching exercises and complete in one hour exactly the same programme as I would have gone through in the bas.e.m.e.nt gym of my London flat. The only difference is that there, there wouldn't be a murderer in sight.

Back in the changing room, I feel I've done well until Dennis (former a.r.s.enal and Brentford player) joins me and reports that he's scored six goals. I congratulate him, and ask him if it's true that he's been selected to captain Belmarsh for the annual fixture against Holloway? This brings far more laughter and cheers than it deserves, although half the prisoners immediately volunteer to play in goal.

'No, thank you,' says Dennis. 'I've got enough women problems as it is.'

'But you told me that you'd had a good visit on Sunday when your wife and child came to see you?'

'One of my wives,' corrects Dennis. 'And one of my children.'

'How many others do you have?' I ask.

'Three of both,' he admits.

'But that's bigamy,' I say. 'Or possibly trigamy.'

'Get a life, Jeff, I'm not married to any of them. There are no fathers hanging around with shotguns nowadays. They're all partners, not wives. Like a company chairman, I have several shareholders. Thank G.o.d I'm banged up in here at the moment,' he adds, 'because if they called an AGM I wouldn't want to have to explain why they won't be getting a dividend this year.'

It's clear that none of the other prisoners listening to this conversation consider it at all unusual, let alone reprehensible. Heaven knows what Britain will be like in fifty years' time if everyone has three 'wives' but doesn't bother to actually marry any of them.

When I return to my cell, I find my canteen order waiting for me on the bed. I drink mug after mug of water, followed by two KitKats, before going off to have a shower.

4.00 pm a.s.sociation. My first a.s.signment is to return a bottle of water to Del Boy (Highland Spring) before searching out Tony to hand over a Mars Bar, followed by Colin (twelve first-cla.s.s stamps). Having cleared my debts (bubbles) no one charges me double bubble I join the other prisoners seated around the television. They're watching the World Athletics Championships. An officer called Mr Hughes brings me up to date on progress so far. After the first day of the decathlon, Macey is leading by one point, and is preparing for his heat in the 110 metre hurdles, which is the first event of the second day. I tell Mr Hughes that Edmonton was where I had originally planned to spend my summer holiday.

'I see that there are a lot of empty seats in the stands,' says Mr Hughes, 'but I find it hard to believe that they're all now in prison.'

Just as Macey goes to his blocks, I spot Joseph standing in the corner a man who prefers the centre of the room. I leave the World Athletics Championships for a moment to join him.

'Any news of your son?' I ask.

'No.' He looks surprised that I've found out about his problem. 'I've phoned his mother, who says that he's under arrest and she's trying to get in touch with the British Consul. They've got him banged up in a local jail. What are prisons like in Cyprus?' he asks.

'I've no idea,' I tell him. 'Until they sent me to Belmarsh, I didn't know what they were like in England. Just be thankful it's not Turkey. What's he been charged with?'

'Nothing. They found him asleep in a house where some locals had been smoking cannabis, but they've warned him he could end up with a seven-year sentence.'

'Not if he was asleep, surely,' I suggest.

'How old is he?'

'Eighteen, and what makes it worse, while I'm stuck in here I can't do anything about it.

My wife says she'll phone the Governor the moment she hears anything.'

'Good luck,' I say, and return to the athletics.

Mr Hughes tells me I missed Macey. He came second in his heat, in a new personal best. 'You can't ask for more than a PB from any athlete,' says Roger Black, the BBC commentator, and adds, 'Stay with us, because it's going to be an exciting day here in Edmonton.'

'Lock-up,' shouts the officer behind the desk at the other end of the room.

I politely point out to the officer that Roger Black has told us we must stay with him.

'Mr Black is there, and I'm here,' comes back the immediate reply, 'so it's lock-up, Archer.'