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Nick Baker back from Japan jail 'hell'
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| Iris Baker whose son has returned to the UK to serve the remainder of a 11-year prison sentence for drug smuggling |
AFTER six years in solitary confinement, Cirencester's Nick Baker has finally won his battle to be transferred to a British jail.
The 36-year-old was convicted in 2003 of trying to smuggle £1.4million of cocaine and ecstacy through Japan's Marita Airport and jailed for 14years.
Ever since, he and mum, Iris Baker, have been battling to both overturn the conviction, or at the very least, have him transferred to a UK prison to serve his sentence.
Now finally the harsh Japanese prison regime is behind him as he has returned to the UK following an agreement with the Japanese embassy and will serve the remainder of his sentence, now reduced to 11 years, in Wandsworth Prison.
His weight has dropped from 15 stone to under nine stone and he has lost all of his muscle, along with several toe nails after suffering frostbite every year.
Iris, of St Michael's Road, Cirencester, is delighted her son is back in the UK after years of campaigning for his human rights.
Describing Japanese prison conditions as barbaric, she said it was only since he returned to the UK that she had been able to talk to him about his horrifying ordeal.
"The Japanese justice system is corrupt and barbaric," she said. "Of course people have to be punished but Nick spent most of the six years in solitary confinement. He is less than half the person he was."
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| Nick Baker before his arrest in 2002. |
While in prison Nick was only allowed to speak for ten minutes a day and was separated from other English-speaking prisoners.
"I have been through a lot but he has lost everything," she added. "For whatever he has done, he has paid the ultimate price."
He told his mother he saw big, strong men crumble under the harsh prison system.
The last six years have been hard for both Nick, a former choir boy at Cirencester Parish Church, and his mum but out of the nightmare they have both gained huge support from local residents.
When he left the Japanese prison, Nick was handed over 200 letters which the prison guards had kept from him.
Iris said: "Nick is worried when he comes back that he will be singled out but he has so many people who have supported him. Without their support I would never have got through this and neither would Nick."
Nick has always protested his innocence and claimed he was set up by travelling companion James Prunier, who later committed suicide whilst being investigated for similar charges in Belgium.
Iris, who helps at a Stroud workshop for troubled teenagers, said: "Hopefully youngsters will read about this and be more aware. Nick ruined his life because of a moment of stupidity.
"This could happen to anybody. Mainly it is youngsters who do it because they are gullible."
2:08pm Thursday 15th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: Andrew, Cirencester on 3:30pm Thu 15 May 08
Guilty by association. Maybe we should adapt the japanese jail system over here? It sure does sound effective.
Guilty by association. Maybe we should adapt the japanese jail system over here? It sure does sound effective.
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