Heaven

DAY 231 WEDNESDAY 6 MARCH 2002

10.00 am

Mark Le Sage, the young prison officer from HMP Stocken, visits me at the hospital. He’s been in the Prison Service for the past twelve years, and for the last eight, has spent many hours as a volunteer addressing schools in the Norfolk area.

Mr Berlyn joins us, as it was his idea that I should attend a couple of Mark’s talks before I venture out on my own. As I have not yet passed my FLED, I’ll have to be accompanied by Mr Hocking, who has also agreed to carry out this task in his own time, as NSC do not have the funds to cover the extra expense (£14 an hour). Mr Berlyn says that he’ll write to the governor of HMP Stocken today, as Mr Le Sage comes under his jurisdiction.

11.00 am

Blossom (traveller, see page 193) is at the High Court today for his appeal. He’s currently serving a five-and-a-half-year sentence for stealing cars and caravans. He’s grown his beard even longer, as he’s hoping that the judge will think he’s a lot older than he is, and therefore shorten his sentence. He intends to shave the beard off as soon as he returns this evening.

6.00 pm

Blossom returns from his appeal and announces that a year has been knocked off his sentence. It had nothing to do with the length of his beard, because he was only in the dock for a couple of minutes and the judge hardly gave him a second look. He had clearly read all the relevant papers long before Blossom showed up.

7.00 pm

Blossom has already shaved off the beard.

The other interesting piece of information to come out of Blossom’s visit to the High Court was that three cannabis dealers had their sentences halved from seven to three and a half years. A sign of things to come?