Finally - Decision (or could there be another one....)

Finally we have a decision from the court. However, the information has only been passed on from Steven so we are awaiting confirmation of the decision from the Honorary Consul.

Steven must serve 18 months prior to him being set free and returned to the UK. However, this could be reduced if he 'pays' for work days thus reducing his sentence potentially by half, however, we are aware that the wardens are exceptionally flexible with the administration of this somewhat interesting system and thus, we would rather work on 18 months and be surprised if his release happens earlier than that.

We are faced now with the dilemma of weighing the benefits of having Steven retuned via the PTA (Prisoner Transfer Agreement) or waiting until his sentence is up and complete. The benefit of having him transferred is that he will be afforded all the resources required from the Probation department and educational information and help with his release. He will not receive any of this if he is simply retuned to the UK as a free man in 18months time.

We are waiting to hear from the FCO what they are prepared to do.

In the meantime we are continuing the support we have for the last 8 months by sending books, money and by being in touch at least every 7 days. We are also preparing things back here for when he returns to the UK and may even get a chance to visit Nicaragua and help out more locally as well. We shall see what the future brings.

We want to say thank you to everyone who is interested in this man and for those who have prayed and offered money to help him. We are so very grateful and we know that Steven is overwhelmed by the support he is receiving.

A Big Day (We Hope!)

Ok, so we have been to court, and the 20 minutes that the judge said he wanted to make his decision has turned into a week. Today (Friday 4th September 2009) Steven returns to court to hear the judges decision concerning his release. I am expecting a phone call from Steven this evening to let me know how it all went.

Could this be the day he really does find out if he is going to be released? Who knows. What we do know is that anything can happen and so we wait...........

It's a Long Long Road!

With many a winding turn. but, he aint heavy, he's .. ............. You know the rest.

Whilst we put our faith in the bureaucracy that is the Nicaraguan Criminal system it seems those clichés of corruption and things taking forever just seem to be true. It's as if we can't get a thing done and when you finally think something is going to happen............................................... nothing! Just a chasm of zero gravity. it's so frustrating.

Poor old Steven thought he was going to be in court last Monday, what happened......... nothing.

Again, he was due in court today and what happened............ nothing!

It would not be so bad if someone came to him and said sorry mate it's been postponed cos the Judge is having tea with the Mayor or some other boloney, but it's just that nothingness thats infuriating. Surely if a man is not going to get his day in court and possible liberty he should be given the courtesy of being informed before his planned day in court comes and goes. Arggh.

Right then the angry stuff out of the way. It's getting a bit fraught now in Tipitapa. Steven was chatting to a woman who comes to visit someone else but he has gotten to know her. One of Steven's inmates overhead Steven say he was getting out soon. With Steven owing him C$200 (£10) this guy decided he wanted his cash there and then. So Steve got a beating in his cell, however, since Steve came a bit out on top he then was on the receiving end of a knife which meant he ended up with a few cuts to his neck. Nothing serious though.

However, since he has been in a fight it seems he may be sent to confinement. This could also have an adverse affect on his case, the judge is not going to look too kindly on the fact Steven has been fighting in prison regardless of whose fault it is.

We are left now not knowing when he will be in court. Steven is going to ring me as soon as he knows. Till then, all we can do is wait.

Delays (like being in an Airport!)

The hearing for Seven has been postponed from today until this Friday (14th August 2009). We have had no indication as to why it has been delayed.

We will of course let you know if there are any further developments. In addition to this we are setting Friday aside as a day of fasting and prayer and would welcome all who feel called to join us as we pray for Steven.

So far we ahve raised over £400 for the ticket home and so have about another £400 to raise. We want to thank everyone who has helped us raise this money. Thank you!

Dates again

Steven has just called. he reckons his next court date is the 11th August 2009. He is certain he is going to be freed on this date. I so hope his optimism is well founded. Regardless, we are praying for this reality and it is with sincere hope that he is released. If he is no tthen we will ahve to deal with what that brings.

If he is released he will be collected from the prison and taken to the immigration detention centre where he will be held until a ticket for his return to teh UK is provided. Again we are trusting in God to provide the money to enable us to buy the ticket which is going to be in the region of £800.

If you can, please pray for this man on this day bearing in mind that Nicaragua is six hours behind the UK.

May Gods will be done.

We will let you know of the outcome.

A corner and something around it!

It's taking some time, but we now know that the final hearing for Steven will be held this month. Steven is hoping that it will be held this coming week, however, we have no confirmation of this. Steven will call and let us know as soon as he does when his final visit to court will be. We await...

So far we have raised jsut short of £200 for Steven for which we are incredibly grateful. We also knwo that Steven is also very grateful and passes on his best wishes to all who have prayed for him and supported him. We still have a way to go though as a plane ticket is going to be in the region of £800. We trsut completely that God will provide as he sees fit and we strive to do his will always.

It's exciting, we know that Steven will probably end up back in Quinton in our community and we are building some support for him for when he does return. Steven is also aware of the reasons why he left Quinton and he wants so much not to return to the life he had before he travelled to Nicaragua. We feel the same too and hope we can be faithful to him so that we help his as much as is possible.

As soon as we have the court date we will let you know...................

Are my Ears Deceiving me????

I spoke with Steven's mom today who informs me that Steven is going to be released on Friday. This of course is not true, and is Steven getting excited about his forthcoming court appearance which was scheduled for Thursday 23rd July, but has now been posponed until next Thursday.

He has told me that his case has been closed and that he has papers saying he is going to be released after the final hearing. I have no way at present of confirming if this is true or not, I am waiting for information from the Honorary Consul in Mangua to confirm if this is indeed the case. If it is then this is nothing short of a miracle.

Again, if this is true we have the added burden of trying to find the money to pay for a flight back to the UK and for gaining an emergency passport. We can only surmise that this is somewhere in the region of £600.

We need to pray that this money can be found, and that indeed the hopes Steven has at the moment are founded on good reliable information.

I will of course add more once I know.