Page 20 (1/2)

Once I’ve finished correcting my daily script, I turninto a pattern of their own, so condolences on my mother’s death, others kindness and support Many continue to co-up, and the harshness of the sentence I a back one’s faith in one’s fellow men…and women

Alison,even more correspondence by every post at ho at three hundred to one in support I hand one of the letters up to Terry It’s fro a cell Terry tellsa life sentence in Parkhurst for murder My cellmate adds they haven’t spoken to each other for years And it was only a couple of hours ago I was feeling low because I haven’t ed to speak to Mary today

Day 8

Thursday 26 July 2001

503 am

I’ve slept for seven hours When I wake, I begin to think about est week of my life For the first time, I consider the future and what it holds for me Will I have to follow the path of two of my heroes, Emma Hamilton and Oscar Wilde, and choose to live a secluded life abroad, unable to enjoy the society that has been so much a part of my very existence?

Will I be able to visit old haunts – the National Theatre, Lord’s, Le Caprice, the Tate Gallery, the UGC Cinema in Fulham Road – or even walk down the street without people’s only thought being ‘

There’s the man ent to jail for perjury’? I can’t explain to every one of theet a fair trial It’s so unlike me to be introspective or pessimistic, but when you’re locked up in a cell seven paces by four for hour upon hour every day, you begin to wonder if anyone out there even knows you’re still alive

1000 am

Mr Highland, a young officer, unlocks al visit at ten thirty I ask if I ht be allowed to take a shower and wash my hair

‘No,’ he says ‘Use the washbasin’ Only the second officer to be offhand since I’ve arrived I explain that it’s quite hard to have a shower in a washbasin He tells o on like this, he’ll have to putend of your life

I shave and cleanescorted to yet another part of the building so that I can ht foot by eight, s in all four walls; even lawyers have been known to bring in drugs for their clients There’s a large oblong table in the centre of the room, with six chairs around it A few moments later I’m joined by Nick Purnell QC and his junior Alex Cameron, who are accompanied by h the process of appeal against conviction and sentence He’s fairly pessi a considerable a up, but he says only those in the court rooeration Potts put on certain words when he addressed the jury The judge continually re up Mrs Peppiatt’s se office diary, repeatedly remarked that ‘no one has denied this is a real diary’ He didn’t point out to the jury, however, that even if that diary had appeared in the original trial, it wouldn’t have made any material difference

On the subject of sentence, Nick Purnell ismembers of the Bar have made it clear that they consider four years to be not only harsh, but unjust And the public seereement with the professionals Reduction of sentence can reat difference, because any conviction of four years or more requires a decision by the Parole Board before you can be set free Any sentence of less than four years, even by one day,half your sentence, assuible for tagging, which knocks off another two months, when you are restricted to your ‘chosen place of residence’ between the hours of seven p

We go on to discuss whether this is the right ti that the millions of pounds I helped raise for the Kurds didn’t reach them, with the twisted implication that some of the money must therefore have ended up in , the Chief Executive of the Red Cross, has co I have no case to answer Alex tellswritten in support of h in the Sun He also points out that the Daily Telegraph had a tilt at Max Hastings

I tell Nick that I want to issue a writ against Ted Francis to recover the £12,000 I loaned hierian prostitute cli out of my bedroomThis is quite an achievement as Francis and I stayed at different hotels and irl was a os mountain rescue team