Couple in Filipino jail on verge of losing hope (From Swindon Advertiser)
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Couple in Filipino jail on verge of losing hope
7:50am Monday 25th February 2013 in News
Kevin and Charlene
THE wife of a Swindon man has told how they feel they are waiting for death after almost four years on remand in a Filipino jail. Charlene and Kevin Taylor, who are accused of running an illegal employment racket, have been locked up while prosecutors look over their case.
The Adver told this week how the couple, who have three young children, are being held in squalid conditions at San Mateo jail, in Rizal, east of the country’s capital Manila.
They face two out of the 25 original charges and could be released on bail – but only if Kevin’s parents, who have already spent their life savings on the case, can find £5,000 bail for the pair.
Charlene said in a letter: “Over the years we have stayed in this jail, many things have happened which have changed our lives, and put a big mark on our souls.
“Kevin’s health has deteriorated, he has lost a lot of weight and is physically not good having been so ill for the past three years.
“Now he is having problems with his skin, including boils, eczema and rashes. “Aside from this, both of us have been seeing psychiatrists regularly. Kevin has been suffering from clinical depression and has been taking anti-depressant tablets every day.
“Honestly, we don’t know how much more we can endure. “It seems that every day we have to face another problem and it seems that we have lost our hope.”
The Taylors’ plight has been taken up by North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson, who has been told by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office that it will send a formal note to the Philippines authorities to speed up the case if the couple are not granted bail next month.
Kevin, 47, and Charlene, 33, ran a visa and travel consultancy in Manila, and have strongly denied being involved in charging fees to send labour abroad – which is illegal in the Philippines.
But they have been unable to contest the accusations, with complainants frequently failing to turn up in court. The couple have been helped by Kevin’s parents, Gerald and Mary Taylor, from Stratton, but the pensioners have spent everything they have on the case.
Charlene wrote: “Kevin’s dad had been sending some money every month to buy groceries but as it is not that much, it is very hard to make it last. “It’s so sad to receive letters from Kevin asking me for coffee and biscuits, but not being able to send any to him. It’s like waiting for your death bed as I don’t know where and how to provide for our everyday needs.”
The couple’s next hearings are on March 7 and 11, when they hope the charges will either be dropped or they will be granted bail.
Comments(17)
Mushymushy
says...
8:52am Mon 25 Feb 13
I Could Do That
says...
9:24am Mon 25 Feb 13
It's not as if they've committed GBH, vandalised anyone's property, or conned the electorate.
They are victims of an excessively slow, inefficient, legal system that allows people to die through malnutrition, squalid conditions, etc
Mushymushy
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10:10am Mon 25 Feb 13
Richard pike
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10:59am Mon 25 Feb 13
Their legal system is different to ours henceforth the reason it is so slow to hear this couples case. They however should have done their research before setting their buisness up in the first place.
He's 47 and she's 33? Passport wanted to this country is what springs to mind. So when they are released (if they are found not guilty) next Adver headline will read couple are heartbroken at being seperated so please fly wife and three children over to Britain so they can stay!
house on the hill
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1:33pm Mon 25 Feb 13
Phantom Poster
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3:04pm Mon 25 Feb 13
Mushymushy wrote:They also say "innocent until proven guilty"!
So the heading should read"completely innocent couple in prison for no reason need our help" but it doesn't, you know what they say no smoke without fire
unnamed....
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6:37pm Mon 25 Feb 13
Localboy86
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6:45pm Mon 25 Feb 13
MrAngry
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8:02pm Mon 25 Feb 13
I agree that people should abide by the laws of the countries that they visit. If a British citizen smuggles drugs in a country that has the death penalty or chops their hands off that is tough, but this couple haven't been found guilty of anything. They are awaiting trial and may be innocent of all charges for all that we know.
I would make a donation if there was a website or contact details.
RichardR1
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8:24pm Mon 25 Feb 13
Phantom Poster
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9:10am Tue 26 Feb 13
RichardR1 wrote:Where was that stated, Bob?
As has been stated most countries operate Corpus Juris, so they are guilty until they prove their innocence, unlike Britain.
The point I was making is that the readers here should treat them as innocent until proven guilty, rather than jumping to conclusions.
Tim Newroman
says...
12:17pm Tue 26 Feb 13
Phantom Poster wrote:In this country, yes, guilty criminals routinely arrive at being found 'not' guilty - a major failing of our now beyond ludicrous Criminal Justice System.
Mushymushy wrote:They also say "innocent until proven guilty"!
So the heading should read"completely innocent couple in prison for no reason need our help" but it doesn't, you know what they say no smoke without fire
However, in many other countries, the onus is on the criminal to at least provide some evidence that they didn't commit the crime they're charged with.
I'm sure it's *pure* coincidence that these countries, with their less than pleasant prison conditions, enjoy a far lower crime rate than here in the good old UK.
Phantom Poster
says...
12:47pm Tue 26 Feb 13
Tim Newroman wrote:Strange then that if I go to the numbeo web site and compare Manila against London I find that Manila has a higher crime index and lower safety scale.
Phantom Poster wrote:In this country, yes, guilty criminals routinely arrive at being found 'not' guilty - a major failing of our now beyond ludicrous Criminal Justice System. However, in many other countries, the onus is on the criminal to at least provide some evidence that they didn't commit the crime they're charged with. I'm sure it's *pure* coincidence that these countries, with their less than pleasant prison conditions, enjoy a far lower crime rate than here in the good old UK.Mushymushy wrote: So the heading should read"completely innocent couple in prison for no reason need our help" but it doesn't, you know what they say no smoke without fireThey also say "innocent until proven guilty"!
Tim Newroman
says...
2:48pm Tue 26 Feb 13
Phantom Poster wrote:I don't recall mentioning the Philippines?
Tim Newroman wrote:Strange then that if I go to the numbeo web site and compare Manila against London I find that Manila has a higher crime index and lower safety scale.
Phantom Poster wrote:In this country, yes, guilty criminals routinely arrive at being found 'not' guilty - a major failing of our now beyond ludicrous Criminal Justice System. However, in many other countries, the onus is on the criminal to at least provide some evidence that they didn't commit the crime they're charged with. I'm sure it's *pure* coincidence that these countries, with their less than pleasant prison conditions, enjoy a far lower crime rate than here in the good old UK.Mushymushy wrote: So the heading should read"completely innocent couple in prison for no reason need our help" but it doesn't, you know what they say no smoke without fireThey also say "innocent until proven guilty"!
If you look at the website you referred to, the UK is roughly in the middle on the Crime Rate Index, suggesting that while there are many countries with higher crime rates, there are almost as many with lower - much lower in some cases - crime rates.
These include Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Brunei, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and many others that are noted for their less than unduly lenient approach.
The point being that British people tend to think that all criminal justice systems are as pro-criminal as ours. They're not.
Phantom Poster
says...
3:41pm Tue 26 Feb 13
Tim Newroman wrote:Err, the story you are commenting on is regarding a jail in the Phillipines!!
Phantom Poster wrote:In this country, yes, guilty criminals routinely arrive at being found 'not' guilty - a major failing of our now beyond ludicrous Criminal Justice System. However, in many other countries, the onus is on the criminal to at least provide some evidence that they didn't commit the crime they're charged with. I'm sure it's *pure* coincidence that these countries, with their less than pleasant prison conditions, enjoy a far lower crime rate than here in the good old UK.Mushymushy wrote: So the heading should read"completely innocent couple in prison for no reason need our help" but it doesn't, you know what they say no smoke without fireThey also say "innocent until proven guilty"!
So basically, any country which is not cherry picked by you to support your argument can be ignored!
What about the poor prison conditions in say South Africa or Brazil - has that resulted in low crime rates?
Tim Newroman
says...
4:36pm Tue 26 Feb 13
If you read my original post, and the post it was a response to, you'll notice that it was in regards to your comment about 'innocent until proven guilty' - something that is the case in this country but people make the mistake of thinking applies across the world.
Obviously, it's likely that crime will be more prevalent in countries where extreme poverty exists. And by that I do not mean where people only have the basic Sky package and have to limit themselves to 20 fags a day.
Mushymushy says...
8:49am Mon 25 Feb 13