I experienced a bout of homelessness, walking the humid, mosquito-infested streets on some nights.
There were times when I went hungry – so desperate for food, I would eat stale Quaker Oats mixed with contaminated town water.
I was internationally humiliated by an online News site that illegally uploaded my image and tagged my full name in an article, convicting me of a crime that I hadn’t been charged for. Googling my name, the top result branded me a criminal.
I was looking at receiving a 15 – 25-year custodial sentence for GBH—Grievous Bodily Harm—despite multiple witness testimonies, proving my innocence.
My passport was confiscated and for nine months I had to sign an ‘out-prisoner’ book twice a week to prove I remained on the island.
At 2:30 am on one brutally hot night, I suffered a stabbing pain in my heart like a nail jammed through my chest.
Buckled-over, I carried myself on a 35-minute ‘stumble’ to the hospital. Following, I had to take medication to slow my heart rate.
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