The Story of a Friend
I arrived back to the UK on the 22nd November 2006 after serving nine years and four months of incarceration.
In 2014 I had a Tourneo Connect MPV and I was in the parking area of my friends in Tile Hill I was about to head home and a young lady came up to me and asked if I knew anyone with a van who could get some things for her she had just moved up to Coventry from Luton to be with her boyfriend, I knew her boyfriend, I had seen him all excited about this girl he had met in London, this was obviously that girl, at first I said no and then as she walked away, I called her and said would her stuff fit in my MPV with the seats out, and she said yes, so I said I would do it for her this meant going to Luton where she had come up from, she was stuck and her boyfriend didn’t seem to be helping her and so we arranged a time for me to pick her up.
I picked her up in the morning and off to Luton it was a nice run, we chatted as if we knew each other for years it was very enjoyable we got her stuff from one location and then went to her sister and got some items from the loft, she had furniture in another storage which she had from her home, she had been living in Bermuda for nineteen years before coming back to Luton, she had met this guy from Coventry on the internet, so never knew him that well, I knew the guy because he lived in the same flats as my friends I had spoken to him on several occasions but I never knew him personally.
Her sister and partner were very concerned they had met him and didn’t like him, they asked me questions about him, I said that I did not know that much about him and that he seemed okay to me, they were afraid she was jumping in the fire and didn’t want her to go.
We sat outside in the garden and I spent a good few hours with them, getting to know each other, they were good people and she was a good woman, they asked me to promise them that I would look out for her, and I gave them my promise that I would.
I had become her only friend in Coventry, we arrived back in Coventry and got her unloaded he came down to get some of her things, it wasn’t long before she contacted me and we met up, things were going bad for her, he was becoming abusive and using drugs, I had a chat with my friends who lived in the same building they told me that the police had been called to him before concerning a woman living with him, he was known for abusing a women, this was not good news and made me more concerned.
I knew that her sister was right, she had made a big mistake; I advised her to go back to Luton, there was nothing here for her, at least she knew people and had family and friends there, she had job interviews and didn’t want to go running back to Luton, I understood where she was coming from, she reminded me of me when I was in the States.
Things went further downhill when he took the landline out, and told her not to go out and that he had friends watching so he would know if she left the flat it got to the stage he was isolating her and breaking her spirit, she had no money no phone credit, she was able to inform me of what he was doing, I went and took her out of there. I believed her to be in danger; she was being isolated so I acted.
She was no longer the bright cheerful girl I had first met, and so I gave her my bedroom and I slept on the sofa, I made sure that she contacted the necessary support organisations, I photographed the bruises plus she was examined by her doctor who gave her a letter of support, the Haven women’s refuge centre were happy for her to stay with me, I took her to counselling, she needed help and support.
She had no money due to her situation and she was interested in running and kick boxing, so I brought her some tennis shoes, my nephew had a punch bag and agreed to lend it me plus he had a pair of boxing gloves, I hung the punch bag up in the garden, I had her running and kick boxing, I also took her to job interviews, she was gaining self-worth.
I also took her out to show her the City, I took her to open mic and several other places, I was out one day in Earlsdon when I got a call from the police officer who came to see me every now and then, I had been put on the sex register here due to the State of Texas I was a sex offender.
The officer told me she had been to visit me and a woman answered the door and wanted to know who she was, I explained the situation and she was not happy about it I told her the woman was 48yrs old and it was up to me who I have staying, however she wanted to come and visit me and the lady, so I set a time for the next day.
The next morning the officer and her colleague arrived they spoke with me first and asked me if I had told my friend about my past? I said no. She then asked to talk to my friend alone which she did and then after sometime she called me into the room and told me to tell her about myself and so I said “I did nine years in the Texas Penitentiary” then the officer said to me tell her the details, and I said “I don’t know the details” to which she said “I do I have them right here but I need to get authority in order to reveal them” she told my friend to go into a shelter and she would arrange it, then she left.
The metropolitan police told me in 2006 when I arrived in the UK to put it all behind me and to get on with my life, however it was not behind me and it never will be for as long as I live, my case was in 1997 this was 2014 and I was still paying for it and I certainly was not hiding, I had written a book about it in 2007, I was not being deceitful I was in the public domain, and so needless to say that I was gutted and humiliated, plus Coventry police knew details that even I never knew. But the facts show that I was illegally incarcerated in the state of Texas but nothing is said about that.
Rose which was her name said to me I don’t care what anyone says about you I judge as I find and I want to stay here, how can the police do that? I gave her a copy of my book so she could read my story.
The next day she got a call from the Haven they had a place for her and she would no longer be supported while staying with me, this meant she would never have her own place; she had come on so well while she was with me, she had healed, she was gaining confidence but most of all she was happy and contented, she felt safe and I was helping her seek work and getting job interviews and now I had to tell her to go, what else could I do, she was paying the price for my past she never wanted to leave but I said you will never get help or have a place of your own if you stay with me.
I took her to the Haven and she looked back at me so sad, I was gutted but she had no hope with me the system made sure of that.
The Haven has housed her in a secret location but we kept in touch and I would pick her up at an undisclosed place because her accommodation was secret, we would go for a drink, and she would come back to mine and chill, she told me that she was being questioned about me by her case worker she had told her “we don’t think you should see that man” she had to lie about meeting me for fear of reprisals from the staff, she also told me they had been telling her things about me, but she would not say what was being said she was more fearful, it was obvious that the police had revealed things to them because no-one had a problem with me before all this took place.
The Haven had been happy for her to stay at my place but now people were being frightened away from me, but to Rose I was still her protector, I was her only friend and I had a promise to keep, she needed to meet and make new friends, and she needed girl time with other women I told her that as she made friends I would drift more and more into the background, she got defensive and said you will always be my friend and always welcome.
I couldn’t be there all the time and she was going downhill she was drinking heavy, I knew she liked her drink but she was getting really bad, she had drinks with the other women but she wanted the high alcohol stuff stronger the better, she was in a place she didn’t want to be forced to meet in secrete for fear that she would lose much needed support, it was really pitiful to watch, she was finally offered a flat in Styvechale.
Styvechale is a desired location in Coventry but not this part, it was not suitable for her she was isolated far away from anything, she needed a community environment people she could connect with and female company she was a very good looking woman in a block of flats with mainly single men, stuck out in the boonies, there was nothing but a couple of shops and when I took her to see the flat we were both shocked, she burst into tears, I could not believe that whitefriars housing would rent a flat out in the condition it was in.
I gave my view to the person showing it she offer to give an allowance for decorating for one room and I said come-on the whole place needs doing, she would only concede another room, my friend knew if she turned it down what the consequences would be, she had to except it, I wanted her to go back to Luton she had no life in Coventry.
She was determined to stick it out in Coventry and so I told her that I would turn her flat into a palace, and not to cry, I could change her flat but not the location and so she accepted the flat but stayed at mine, while I got it sorted because it was not fit to move into in my opinion or hers, I had a lot of work to do, so I asked her what she wanted it to be like and I followed her plan.
Her furniture was in storage in Luton and she had to pawn her jewellery in Coventry I went and retrieved her jewellery and I enlisted the help of my nephew and we hired a large van we all went down to Luton and got her furniture, I stored it until her flat was ready.
It was a roomy flat and had good potential, I started to work on it, I laminated the flooring throughout the lounge hallway and bedroom, put a new bathroom sink with a Victorian twist, painted throughout and wallpapered the featured wall in the living room, did alterations in the bathroom and took out some obsolete box frame that should never be there, and papered the kitchen and bathroom, made an archway from the hall to the living room, built in the boiler which was it the living room with some nice doors, she loved it, I had totally changed it into a home, then we moved her in, she now had a lovely furnished home, however I couldn’t change the location she had a lovely home but she was still stuck.
I had tried to interest her in communities, she felt isolated, I had met her sister and partner a few times I had been down for New Years, been out with them in Birmingham, they were so thankful for me taking care of Rose.
Rose had met a guy and I had a girlfriend and we all met up at a dance things sadly never worked out for her and so she dumped him sometime after she took ill and the doctor sent her to the Hospital she had jaundice a liver condition, and was in for some months, I gave her my tablet so she could watch movies or go on the internet because in Britain the sick have to pay for TV, even for Freeview.
She would walk down the long hallway pulling her IV with her to go and sit in the chapel, when I went to see her she asked me “Peter, am I going to die” I said “no, but if you continue drinking you will”. It was now a real matter of life or death, I had backed out of her life because being my friend came at a price, and she was paying for my past even now
When she was discharged she had a walking stick and so pitiful she was so afraid, I had been in contact with her sister and they did come up and visit, she wanted her to go and live with her so she could look after her, but she wouldn’t go. I also asked her why? She told me her sister would be at work and they would all be busy, and that she was staying here.
To see her reduced to this was heart breaking, when she came out of hospital I was there for her she wanted a kitten for her birthday because her cat of 20yrs had died, I got her little kitten and she named her Missy she was some company for her and she loved her to bits, but she was still isolated and had guys hitting on her all the time she needed female company.
Being around Rose made me realise what attractive women have to deal with, she could not even go for a quite drink and read a book without being hit on by some guy, us men don’t realise that women need there time without constantly having to be defensive regarding horny men.
I was her defender and that’s how she seen me as I was her rock, no-one knows how close we were because we were a secret.
I took her to AA she needed help with drink and could also meet friends and I warned her about male predators who target AA looking for vulnerable women and told her to stay with the women, I went to some meetings with her for support and made sure she had met the women, she was also seeing councillors. I had to let her find her own way; by now it is coming 2016, she ignored my advice and was taken in by the charms of a man from AA and never told me.
She was now hard to contact she wanted to see me but she would call me arrange to meet and not turn up, her text messages were messed up they didn’t make sense as if she was too drunk to write I was seriously concerned.
I still had tools over there because I had built her a wardrobe I never had transport anymore and so I asked my nephew to take me over there to get my tools it was a reason to go there.
She lived on the first floor, I pressed the buzzer but there was no answer, and so we walked around back and there was a guy standing on her patio, I shouted up where’s my Rose, and he said who are you and I said I’m Peter and I have come for my tools. I was told to wait and he went away for a moment then came back and said I could get my tools and he buzzed me in the building.
I and my nephew went in I asked where my Rose was he said she was in bed that she was not well and didn’t want to be disturbed, we got my table saw from the patio outside and I noticed a glass of red wine sitting on the table he was drinking, I said you’re supposed to be from AA so what are you drinking for? it developed into an argument I wanted to go in and get her, I would have to kick his arse down the stairs, but I walked away my nephew said he really thought things were going to kick off, I said I’m going to the police and do this legal.
I was seriously concerned but all I got told by my girlfriend and everyone was not to get involved, I called the officer who came to visit me because she knew me and told my concerns and that my friend would die if she didn’t get help, she told I needed a vulnerable adult order which could only be done by a relative and then the police would go in and remove her from the premises.
I called her sister because she could was the only one who could do it she only had to contact Luton police and then Coventry would remove her, from the premises, she told me she had spoken with her boyfriend before and thought he was okay, I told her that he was drinking in there and that there was wine on the table he drank like a regular drinker not an alcoholic, he was a predator, and if she wasn’t removed she would die, it was now in the hands of her family but nothing happened, I wondered why it had not been done?
Then the ultimate thing happened I was notified that she was in hospital she was dying; I went to see her and there was a dove outside her door she was conscious and very pleased to see me, her fella was there, I gave her a kiss and held her hand, and her sister and family came in, I did have a private chat with all of them, I spoke with her nephew who I had never met but he had heard all about me and was very grateful for everything I had done, he also said her family was not there for her before but they were here now, I thought that’s a little too late, she is dying.
He did have a question; the hospital had asked him why it had taken so long for her to be brought in, a question he put to me, this was sometime after my efforts to save her but even prior to that I had contacted her sister with my concerns about loss of contact, she could have been saved with earlier treatment, but no-one would listen to me, I spoke with her sister and she told me the police officer had called her they too had been made weary of me, I was not told what was said but it cost Rose her life.
The guy had been staying in the flat but had been found out to be deceitful and so her nephew and sisters partner went and told him to leave the flat, he was also denied the right to visit her, I said I would look after Missy her cat, my nephew took me to get the her, I was proven to be true, I never seen my Rose again, I got a call that she had passed away, a 50 year old woman let down by the system she didn’t have to die.