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Free at last! David Stevenson was released in May after spending 18 months in a French jail on drugs

17th June 2004, Page 22
17th June 2004
Page 22
Page 23
Page 22, 17th June 2004 — Free at last! David Stevenson was released in May after spending 18 months in a French jail on drugs
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charges. He talks to Jennifer Ball.

David Stevenson sits in his office surrounded by mountains of out-ofdate paperwork. Old tachograph discs adorn the walls, alongside a stopped clock, and more tellingly, a 2002 `Kylie' calendar. It feels oddly like a museum exhibit where a commonplace scene from years ago has been recreated to show how life was.

David Stevenson sits in his office surrounded by mountains of out-ofdate paperwork. Old tachograph discs adorn the walls, alongside a stopped clock, and more tellingly, a 2002 `Kylie' calendar. It feels oddly like a museum exhibit where a commonplace scene from years ago has been recreated to show how life was.

David Stevenson sits in his office surrounded by mountains of out-ofdate paperwork. Old tachograph discs adorn the walls, alongside a stopped clock, and more tellingly, a 2002 `Kylie' calendar. It feels oddly like a museum exhibit where a commonplace scene from years ago has been recreated to show how life was.

However, the reality is far more depressing: the museum look is present because its owner has been locked away.This was how Stevenson left the office before he was arrested in France for drug trafficking some 18 months ago.

Stevenson's nightmare began on 9 November 2002. Like any other day, he left Stevenson Transport in Welling, Kent, for Calais with a loaded trailer from P&O Ferrymasters in Ipswich. He then collected another loaded trailer waiting for him at the French port, and drove to the petrol station in Fumes to fill up with diesel before stopping at Advinkerque to buy a packet of cigarettes and setting off back home.

He was not required to check the load against the CMR documents. Indeed, his only instructions were to break the seal of the trailer and check for stowaways, which he did on every trip. However, this time he was stopped by French customs officers and 250kg of cannabis was found hidden in the load.

"The police kicked me to the floor and began screaming at me in French before taking me off to Dunkirk police station. I was kept in a holding cell and had no idea what was happening. The police's actions made a mockery of my human rights; they even refused to let me have an interpreter or make a phone call home."

Stevenson says his tachograph showed that it would be impossible for him to load and shrinkwrap the pallets within the time of the two stops: "I told the police this and that they should look at CCTV footage of me at the petrol station, but they refused to listen. I had no representative at the actual trial and within three days of being arrested I was sentenced to two years' imprisonment and a fine of over €381,000."

Stevenson describes his time in Dunkirk as 'mental torture'. The conditions inside the jail were horrific, he says. He was in a room with 19 other men sharing just one shower and a sink. Served "inedible" food, he lost more than three stone in weight within a matter of weeks. He also witnessed the prison staff regularly stealing from prisoners. Prison job His only relief from the daily grind of prison life was a job putting stamps on paper, but this didn't last: "I had to go into hospital for an operation on a nerve in my hand, which had been damaged by Customs His only relief from the daily grind of prison life was a job putting stamps on paper, but this didn't last: "I had to go into hospital for an operation on a nerve in my hand, which had been damaged by Customs

whenthey arrested me, so they sacked me from that job."

whenthey arrested me, so they sacked me from that job." ensure that no other nver in t e industry as to suffer t e same ate"

whenthey arrested me, so they sacked me from that job."

After four months, Stevenson's appeal was heard, but, while he was hoping for a release on bail or a reduction in his sentence, this was not to be. ensure that no other nver in t e industry as to suffer t e same ate"

After four months, Stevenson's appeal was heard, but, while he was hoping for a release on bail or a reduction in his sentence, this was not to be. ensure that no other nver in t e industry as to suffer t e same ate"

After four months, Stevenson's appeal was heard, but, while he was hoping for a release on bail or a reduction in his sentence, this was not to be. "I collapsed when the judge said my sentence

would be increased from two to three years. I was so shocked. I am sure that I was a victim of poor relations between Britain and France because my appeal was the day that the Iraq war began. The only thing that kept me going on over the next few months was my family and friends who supported me all the way."

Stevenson says the next year passed in a blur. When he was told the week before his release that he was going to be freed he didn't believe the prison staff: "The guard said to me that I should be happy. But, untill was on the ferry and out of French waters, I couldn't believe it. I was told so many stories by the prison staff," he adds.

Now he has been released he's learning to adjust to life at home, but is still having sleepless nights. He feels bitter towards the British government, which visited him just once and said it couldn't become involved in the French legal system. Change in law Change in law

He wants to see a change in the law, which would mean that truck drivers cannot be held responsible for goods hidden in their loads. He argues that drivers cannot be blamed for the clandestine contents of a trailer when they are unable to unpack it to check.

Ultimately, Stevenson has one clear aim; to prove his innocence. He had no idea that the drugs were there; the conviction was unsafe and he was sentenced without a fair trial. "I know that I am innocent, but there are always going to be people who doubt you. I can't blame them— after all I was found guilty by the French courts. "While there will always be some guilty truck drivers out there the majority are innocent victims. I'm going to fight to ensure that no other driver in the industry has to suffer the same fate," he promises. •


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