I spoke with Steve last night. We had a great conversation about his last few weeks. He had a great time telling me about a tornado which blew hrough Tipitapa. It would seem that a deluge of rain was dumped in Nicaragua which meant that the prison was flooded up to the knees of the prisoners. Cells were flooded which meant inmates had to sleep next to water which took them 3 days to get completely dry. Steve had a great time and it seems the inmates enjoyed the occasion so much so they ended up having water fights.
Steve is in good form. He has not had a visitor for over a month becuase money is really tight, however, his girlfriend was visiting him today. She had been waiting to get in since 9am and it was now 3pm, so she had stuck it out to see him. He was very happy.
We discussed his release which he thinks is coming in August. It seems as though we have been told he is getting released every month this year, one can undertand why we are not holding our breath. From our perspective his official release date is April 2011 which is now less that 1 year away. This is a massive difference from the 25 years he had left when we first met him, so I did try to put that into perspective for him. He seemed to accept that no matter what happens he will be released next April, anything less than that is a bonus.
So for now all seems well. We have so far raised enough money to almost pay for a ticket for Steve to return to the UK. We are also still sending out money to him to help him buy food. He is so greatful for this, so much so he wanted me to pass on his express thanks to all those who are helping him. He simply is overwhelemed by peoples generosity with their money, especially in these difficult times.
I will be speaking to Steve again over the weekend as he thinks he may be in court again soon. We shall see........
Thursday, 6 May 2010
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Morning Has broken
I woke this morning to the usual flurry of emails, texts and other messages vibrating the bones out of my BlackBerry. Through half opened eys, peering onto the piercing bright screen I read a message from Steve, which was not of the type one wants to read at the start of the day, especially since i had not even made it out of bed.
Steven sent a text last night saying that on Saturday he had taken an overdose and cut his wrists. As far as we know he is ok, since he text me last night and this all happened on Saturday. Unfortunately this is not the first time we have been through this with Steve. We are trying to get hold of him as we speak so hopefully will be able to offer a better perspective on his current situation.
I did speak to Steve on Friday and he was in great form, so one must wonder what happened between Friday morning and Saturday.
To give you all an update, it seems that the solicitor that worked with Steve and the other party who was involved in this case wants money. US$40k to be precise which is simply not going to happen, it is a ridiculous request and one the solicitor knows too well will not be entertained. However, things have moved forward, Steve is going back to court to see if he can be released. As with all these things there is so much going on under the surface that it can be difficult to see the wood for the trees, but one can never be sure of what could happen. Steve seems to think he will be released this month, and, when I had a chat to his solicitor in my disastrous Spanish, he too seemed to think Steve would be out by April. Who knows?
We will of course keep you up to date.
In the meantime we wait and hope that Steven does not really find the will to end his lfe. I would hope that this current situation is Seven wanting some attention.
We would be so grateful if you can pray for Stevens mind, that he will settle and be patient just that little longer. All we can do here is request he is visited by the Honorary Consul and hope they give him the support he needs.
As soon as we have more information we will let you all know.
To all those who are helping financially we want to thank you so much. We let you know before Christmas how your money had been spent so far. We hope you found this helpful. For now, our focus is on providing food for Steven and raising enough to buy him a ticket back to the UK when he is released, and we hope and pray that will be sooner rather than later.
May God's will be done in all things.
Steven sent a text last night saying that on Saturday he had taken an overdose and cut his wrists. As far as we know he is ok, since he text me last night and this all happened on Saturday. Unfortunately this is not the first time we have been through this with Steve. We are trying to get hold of him as we speak so hopefully will be able to offer a better perspective on his current situation.
I did speak to Steve on Friday and he was in great form, so one must wonder what happened between Friday morning and Saturday.
To give you all an update, it seems that the solicitor that worked with Steve and the other party who was involved in this case wants money. US$40k to be precise which is simply not going to happen, it is a ridiculous request and one the solicitor knows too well will not be entertained. However, things have moved forward, Steve is going back to court to see if he can be released. As with all these things there is so much going on under the surface that it can be difficult to see the wood for the trees, but one can never be sure of what could happen. Steve seems to think he will be released this month, and, when I had a chat to his solicitor in my disastrous Spanish, he too seemed to think Steve would be out by April. Who knows?
We will of course keep you up to date.
In the meantime we wait and hope that Steven does not really find the will to end his lfe. I would hope that this current situation is Seven wanting some attention.
We would be so grateful if you can pray for Stevens mind, that he will settle and be patient just that little longer. All we can do here is request he is visited by the Honorary Consul and hope they give him the support he needs.
As soon as we have more information we will let you all know.
To all those who are helping financially we want to thank you so much. We let you know before Christmas how your money had been spent so far. We hope you found this helpful. For now, our focus is on providing food for Steven and raising enough to buy him a ticket back to the UK when he is released, and we hope and pray that will be sooner rather than later.
May God's will be done in all things.
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Wardens Offering False Hope
Steve had indeed been in a scuffle, exactly why I can not say, the information is just not coming. However, it would seem that the Wardens have been using a cruel tactic of telling Steve he is going to be released soon just so he keeps his head down and out of trouble.
Steven rang me last week and was so excited about the prospect of being released in the next couple of weeks that he had asked his girlfriend to get a solicitor to do the paperwork and had told his entire familly he was coming home.
After speaking to our contact at the FCO it seems there is no such process underway and that the Wardens have said all this to Steven just to get him to calm down and not seek an trouble after the attack that took place.
Its a cruel and horrible thing to do and now we have to tell Steven that the Wardens have been lying to him.
Not the best of jobs......
Steven rang me last week and was so excited about the prospect of being released in the next couple of weeks that he had asked his girlfriend to get a solicitor to do the paperwork and had told his entire familly he was coming home.
After speaking to our contact at the FCO it seems there is no such process underway and that the Wardens have said all this to Steven just to get him to calm down and not seek an trouble after the attack that took place.
Its a cruel and horrible thing to do and now we have to tell Steven that the Wardens have been lying to him.
Not the best of jobs......
Friday, 22 January 2010
It's Been Some Time
It has indeed been a little time since we last updated this blog. One reasons is good, becuase there has not beentoo much to let people know, and the other reason is not so good and that is exactly the same as the first.
However, I had a message on my phone from Steven the other night saying he had been attacked and was worried he has had his arm broken. He said everything has been stolen from him. We have not been abel to get hold of Steven becuase of many different reasons, but I know that Andy is going to try and get hold of him tonight.
As soon as we know how he is we will let you all know.
Take care
Brendan
However, I had a message on my phone from Steven the other night saying he had been attacked and was worried he has had his arm broken. He said everything has been stolen from him. We have not been abel to get hold of Steven becuase of many different reasons, but I know that Andy is going to try and get hold of him tonight.
As soon as we know how he is we will let you all know.
Take care
Brendan
Thursday, 19 November 2009
November Update
The last few weeks since October have been eventful for Steven. He has been placed in lockdown (Confinement to cell), had his clothes and personal items stolen, been beaten up and now, moved to a new gallery (wing) for his own safety.
Currently things seem good and we have been able to help Steven out of the predicament by speaking to him everyday for the last few weeks and sending out a lttle bit of cash to pay off the debt that he had which was the source of his difficulties.
For now all is good, however, I did have some dissapointing news from the FCO yesterday. We had been quite careful to ensure that the PTA (Prison tranfer Agreement) had been ratified by parliament and was all good to go. Our ocntact at the FCO confirmed some six months ago that indeed it was all in place. unfortunately, we have now had feedback from the FCO that ratification has not taken place and is tied up somehwere in the buerocracy between the two Governments.
This is really dissapointing as this was the tool by which we would have been able to get Steven released to the UK and into the British Prison system thus qualifying him for all the services afforded any prisoner in a UK prison, such as rehabilitiation, probation and assistance with adjusting to normal life. It is our fear that he will not be afforded such services and thus have to wait until the end of his sentence (April 2011) and be returned to the UK with no support.
This is sad news. We are still working with the FCO to see if the ratification process can be speeded up, but at present we have no further information.
With the money that people have donated we have been able to buy Steven some new clothes, food and books etc. So we want to thank those who have and are helping in a financial manner. We are still building a little fund to help us get Steven back from nicaragua and help him when he returns, so every penny is a blessing. Thank you to all who help.
We shall keep you informed about the PTA process and any other relevant information.
Currently things seem good and we have been able to help Steven out of the predicament by speaking to him everyday for the last few weeks and sending out a lttle bit of cash to pay off the debt that he had which was the source of his difficulties.
For now all is good, however, I did have some dissapointing news from the FCO yesterday. We had been quite careful to ensure that the PTA (Prison tranfer Agreement) had been ratified by parliament and was all good to go. Our ocntact at the FCO confirmed some six months ago that indeed it was all in place. unfortunately, we have now had feedback from the FCO that ratification has not taken place and is tied up somehwere in the buerocracy between the two Governments.
This is really dissapointing as this was the tool by which we would have been able to get Steven released to the UK and into the British Prison system thus qualifying him for all the services afforded any prisoner in a UK prison, such as rehabilitiation, probation and assistance with adjusting to normal life. It is our fear that he will not be afforded such services and thus have to wait until the end of his sentence (April 2011) and be returned to the UK with no support.
This is sad news. We are still working with the FCO to see if the ratification process can be speeded up, but at present we have no further information.
With the money that people have donated we have been able to buy Steven some new clothes, food and books etc. So we want to thank those who have and are helping in a financial manner. We are still building a little fund to help us get Steven back from nicaragua and help him when he returns, so every penny is a blessing. Thank you to all who help.
We shall keep you informed about the PTA process and any other relevant information.
Thursday, 29 October 2009
A little Book of Words
We have spoken with Steven yesterday to find him better than he has been over the last few days. He is currently still in lockdown but is due to be let out of his cell in the next 5 days.
During this time we have seen Steven's spirits tumble and so we wanted to help him as best we can. We are therefore compiling a little booklet of prayers, thoughts, words of encouragement etc so he can turn to them when he is in not so good a place.
This booklet will be sent out in the next 10 days, however, if you would like to contribute simply email us here with your words or reply to this blog. We will print and paste comments received into the book we are sending out.
Thank you!
Monday, 26 October 2009
Tough Times
Things are not going so well for Steven at the moment. For reasons we do not know he is currently locked in his cell with no bed, no food, no water and has been told he is to stay there for 3 months. We have written to the Foreign Office and are awaiting confirmation as to what exactly is happening and what we can do to sort the problem.
Unfortunately, Steven is not in the best of places and he was close to tears when I spoke to him on Saturday night. Michael, the man that was convicted with Steven has now been released and this has had a big impact on Steven's frame of mind since he has another year to serve. It's all very difficlut and made even more so by this sudden turn of events. Unfortunately Steven was very close to doing something silly and it is our payer that he stays strong in what is a very difficult situation. All he has is his bible. He has had to sell his phone to get food and water, so he is now borrowing a phone. We are in touch with him daily at the moment to try and keep him on a good level keel.
As we got to the end of our conversation last night I asked him not to do anything silly and that those at St. Boniface would pray for him, his response was 'I need the spirit of God inside me to stop me from doing something stupid'
We will be sending out some cash to him this week to help with food. We have not been sending cash recently due to ambiguity as to what is being purchased, however, we feel it is essential now so he can get through what looks like a very difficult time.
We will let you know how things develop.
Unfortunately, Steven is not in the best of places and he was close to tears when I spoke to him on Saturday night. Michael, the man that was convicted with Steven has now been released and this has had a big impact on Steven's frame of mind since he has another year to serve. It's all very difficlut and made even more so by this sudden turn of events. Unfortunately Steven was very close to doing something silly and it is our payer that he stays strong in what is a very difficult situation. All he has is his bible. He has had to sell his phone to get food and water, so he is now borrowing a phone. We are in touch with him daily at the moment to try and keep him on a good level keel.
As we got to the end of our conversation last night I asked him not to do anything silly and that those at St. Boniface would pray for him, his response was 'I need the spirit of God inside me to stop me from doing something stupid'
We will be sending out some cash to him this week to help with food. We have not been sending cash recently due to ambiguity as to what is being purchased, however, we feel it is essential now so he can get through what looks like a very difficult time.
We will let you know how things develop.
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