DECEMBER NEWS!!
Home at last!! Well almost!!
Things were not looking so good; my request to be allowed to Gartree Prison in Leicestershire (close to my family’s home) was rejected. Gartree Prison refused to accept me as technically I am not a life sentence prisoner; Gartree only houses life sentence Prisoners.
The reality of my sentence is, it is double most life sentence prisoners, yet they will not accept me.
With my hopes almost ended of getting to a prison close to home, good news came today!! H.M.P. Rye Hill in Warwickshire, a prison I never heard of before coming to Wandsworth, had accepted me. Rye Hill Prison is in fact very close to all my family in Leicestershire (probably closer than my first choice Gartree Prison)
So this was good news.
Without wanting to sound like a creep!!
I give credit where credit’s due and staff at Wandsworth Prison all treated me very well in a professional and helpful manner. Mr. Redford of C wing, Mr. Clarke of allocation and the two guards who picked me up in
My solicitor Carla Riozzi of Moss Solicitors also played a big part in my placement, well!! Speeding it up anyway! Always pays to have people pushing for you on the outside, so you’re not totally dependable on a system where you are one small fish in an ocean of fish.
“Squeaky wheel gets the oil!”
Monday 9am December 10th 2007 “pack your gear Willcox your on escort to Rye Hill Prison”
5 minutes later I am packed and ready! “See you later Nav keep in touch and thanks for everything mate”!
After about 7 hours delay in the reception cells of Wandsworth, finally we are on our way to Rye Hill Prison; it’s already dark as we leave Wandsworth. I was hoping to see a bit of
After 3 – 4 hours (traffic jam’s) on the way up, it’s about 8pm by the time we arrived at Rye Hill.
Prisoner induction assistants met me at reception together with induction officers, all very informal, they all put me so at ease it felt very unreal to the harsh treatment of reception into a Thai Prison and what I was used to.
I was given hot coffee, food and a 5 minute telephone call to my parents to let them know I had arrived at my new address.
Warm clothing, quilt, pillow and bed sheets, mug, plate and bowl etc. were all issued to me before being shown to my cell.
It was a double cell they put me into but I was alone, the fixtures and fittings, toilet, washbasin, bare mattress on a steel plate bed, steel plate table and shelves along one side of the cell wall, a small window with sliding vent, oh! And a TV.
I made up my bed, and then ate the sandwiches, poured myself a hot cup of tea from my Thermos.
The cell was reasonably clean and newly painted, first impression of my new home were very good indeed!
The next morning I was moved to a single cell, the same comforts as the double, but without the bunk beds.
Friday December 14th, my first visit with my mum, dad and sister! For 4 ½ years I had thought of this moment. It’s impossible to describe this reunion….It was just incredible….very very happy and emotional….hugs and kisses all round….really it just didn’t feel real!!
There were quite a lot of times over the past 4 ½ years I thought I would never see this day, we made it!!
They came bearing good news!! Confirmation that on December 5th 2007 the King of Thailand for his 80th Birthday celebration gave an amnesty to prisoners 1/8th (one eighth) for all drug cases. I was given 4 years 2 months off my 33 ½ years sentence,
Hardly a big dent in it, but better than nothing!! And better than the 2 weeks reduction I got last time.
Wow!! It felt so good to be able to sit down with my parents and sister, no bars and glass between us! A normal table and chairs, a canteen where you can buy tea, coffee and refreshments, I felt human again, I felt like I was home, and seeing them I now for the first time since being back in England, the shock and feeling of isolation, the un-certainty of weather I had made the right move or not by transferring home was no ALL TO CLEAR:-
Of course I made the right choice!! And I couldn’t have been happier to be home, “Too Right” I made the right choice!!
Today’s visit was just the happiest day I’ve had in years!! All we need now to make this happiness complete is to get Lek and Oak here, as I said in November’s news:- Lek’s settlement visa appeal is set for January 29th
My parents and Carla have spoken to and hired a solicitor who specializes in immigration cases and this 2nd appeal is away from, and (independent of the) British Embassy.
So fingers crossed the end of January or early February we will have good news on Lek’s visa!!
After last months marathon news letter I promised myself I would keep this one short. Sorry Ulla! If you have blistered fingers after typing up last months!
This Christmas came and went; it was my happiest in a long time!! Of course much of it was spent thinking about Lek and Oak.
But we all feel we are on the right track now I am back. Since the first visit with my mum and dad and Paula, we’ve all had numerous more enjoyable visits, including one with my best mate George- (good to see you brother)
Many of you must still be wondering about my sentence now I am back in
My sentence at the time of my transfer was 33 years 5 months 15 days
- Number of days in sentence: 12.222
- Sentence expiry date: 03/02/2027
- Non-parole release date: 13/02/2027
- Parole eligibility date: 11/01/2020
- Licence expiry date: 12/07/2029
The amnesty on December 5th (resulted in a reduction in sentence) in my case of (roughly 4 years and 2 months)
We are still waiting on the British embassy
My sentence should now stand at 29 years 3 months 15 days of which according to
Including the 4 years 8 months I’ve already served, this will now leave me with about 10 years more to serve in prison before being eligible for parole (release)
My address is as follows:
Steve Willcox WA9151 (Farley unit)
H.M.P. Rye Hill
Nr Rugby
Warwickshire
CV23 8SZ
Happy New Year readers!! “So so good to be home”!!!!
Wishing you all good health and happiness
Cheers Steve
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