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‘I’ve just been reading about your ties, ‘and I see you’re suggesting that seventy per cent of prisoners are on drugs and as ives ’

I don’t co him to dismiss my claims, and remind me of the official statistics always parroted by the Hos is raised

‘Which would you say is thehis newspaper

‘The kitchen, without question,’ I reply, ‘and for all the obvious reasons’

‘You’re right,’ he says ‘Every day, at least five inmates apply to work in the kitchen’ He pauses, sips his coffee and adds, ‘Did you take a drugs test yesterday?’

‘Yes,’ I reply, ‘along with four others’

‘And how many of you were invited to work in the kitchen?’

‘Just Phil and me,’ I reply

‘Correct, but what you don’t know is that I’ in the kitchen, but currently employ only seventeen’ He takes another sip of his coffee ‘I have neverthe last ten years, despite the fact that we never have fewer than seven hundred inmates’ Mr Tasker rises from his seat ‘Now I’m no mathematician,’ he says, ‘but I think you’ll find that seventeen out of seven hundred does not come to thirty per cent’

300 pm

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bsp; The same officious, ill- returns to pick ation This ti hauled up in front of Mr Peacock, the governing governor Mr Peacock sits at the top of the table with the deputy governor on his right andstands behind overnor reads out the charge and asks if I wish to plead guilty or not guilty

‘I’m not sure,’ I reply ‘I’m not clear what offence I’ve committed’

I am then shown the prison rules in full I express soe of Belmarsh: Hell to the prison censor, and he kindly posted theest I was coovernor looks suitably embarrassed when I ask him to write down every word I have said He does so

Mr Peacock points out that every inmate has access to a copy of the prison rules in the library ‘Yes, but anyone who reads my diary,’ – he has a copy of Belmarsh on the table in front of him – ‘would know that I wasn’t allowed to visit the library, or have access to education while at Bele At least he has the grace to snorance of the law is no excuse