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Peter remains with me for three more circuits of the yard before he returns to his friends – three other prisoners with sentences of six weeks or less I continue walking and notice that Billy and Colin have been replaced by Paul and Del Boy I spot Fletch standing in the far corner He likes corners, because froe point he can view his private do onon the far side of the yard are only too aware of what he’s up to

I pass Willia to his brother He jumps up and runs across to join me Paul and Del Boy immediately take a pace forward, and only relax when I put my arm round William’s shoulder After all, I haven’t let anyone knohich one of those sitting round the perimeter is the cause of problem

Once again, I use the time to check the facts that William told me in the workshop He corrects a couple of errors on the price of cocaine and once again explains how pure heroin is diluted/cut before becos When he has completed this explanation, I ask him what he intends to do when he’s released in twelve weeks’ time

‘Salvage,’ he says

‘Salvage?’ I repeat, thinking this

‘Yes, I’et their MOT certificate and then sell them on the estates round here’

‘Can youthat?’ I ask

‘I hope so, Jeffrey,’ he says, ‘because I’aovern to the taxpayers’ burden Mind you,’ he adds, ‘if they had letsomeone’ I stop in my tracks and Paul and Del Boy almost collide into the back of me ‘My brother’s just told me’ – he points to the other side of the yard where a tall, dark-haired young ainst the fence – ‘that my sister Brinie was kidnapped last week and repeatedly raped, and as most of the family are in jail, there’s not a lot we can do about it’ I’m speechless ‘The bastard’s been arrested, so we ht this time’ He pauses ‘But for his sake let’s hope he doesn’t end up in the same prison as one of my brothers Mind you,’ he adds, ‘don’t bet on that, because the odds are quite short’

As we turn the corner, he points up to a tower block in the distance ‘That’s where another of my brothers, Patrick, fell to his death’ (Have you noticed that Mrs Keane has nas?) ‘You’ll remember, that was the occasion when the whole fa with half the Metropolitan Police’ He pauses ‘They’re now saying he et out of here, and if he was…’ What hope has thison the outside? I ask myself I found out a few months later when I met up with yet another brother

When William slips off to rejoin his brother, I notice that Del Boy and Paul have been replaced by Tony and David David (fifty-five, in possession of a gun) is overweight, out of shape and finding it difficult to keep up with ht, full-of-life West Indian, whose story I will not repeat, as it is the e of Peter Fabri’s He too has no intention of even going through an aht once they release him from Belmarsh However, he admits that he’s learnt a lot more about crime than he knew before he cas in the cell he shares with two other inmates

‘I’ether ‘But one of the guys in my cell who’s due out next week has tried heroin for the first time He’s hooked now, man, I tell you he’s hooked’

Are you still paying attention, Home Secretary?

I pass the tearaways, who haven’t moved an inch for the past forty minutes and have to satisfy themselves withto risk anything this time

At four o’clock, we’re called back in block by block Several prisoners who are leaving next week including Peter (offered forty thousand to murder a witness), Denzil (come and see me when I’m a star), and Liam (do I need a barrister or should I represent myself?) come across to shake hands and wish ain

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