Oh...and I may not seem so to some, because there are REAL life changing discretions that it is perhaps  appropriate to remain discreet about:  something happened before i shuffled off for a few months abroad...i have only ever told two souls about.  Souls i trust to also remain discreet.  Forced to plead guilty because even as notorious media supported (yes)  incarceree because the standard of defence available shocked even me  - on drugs...mad......  (and the only half decent one Neil thingumy having taken the initial criminal case Autumn 2003 was without doubt got at and having accepted the brief within a few days made some lame excuse why he was withdrawing) ...all that is an aside, what is not is that I am quite sure every other person in the land would have bleated  a mitigation for the fierce judge that may have rather swayed opinion another way - if not him certainly the 'court of public opinion'. I did not.

Media already had plenty of tv footage summer 2003 of the locals stating i was always a meek focused and very successful totally dedicated parent to a wonderfully happy and healthy young lass who was well known about Hay-on-Wye at the time as we fully engaged with the local community in fact many adored her.  And dad hadn't even had a parking ticket for years. Never mind any other problem with the lore ever .  Often we were at cafes for her socialisation even if I couldn't bear the cant and vanity you would hear there - that's called sacrifice for a higher good.  And all summer we would be down on The Wye pied pipering to other kids and their mums usually, who would come and gather for hours around our baby ferrets we took down to Hay beach most days over 10 years, for them to enjoy and learn about animals  too. Never ever the slightest  word against any of it. 

Several also know the truth of some things later on - including the once Editor of The Independent on Sunday. He was rather jaw dropped one day when i saw him on the bus and told him of some sad latter day matters, in fact that very main day;  but i trusted him to keep stump too. And he did.  Oh and then we have ....by her own admission, in writing,  Miss "Flawed" ... i have better things to do than even care. certainly had better real things to do then.  Its so sad for the soul of  anyone to tell porkies hands on the bible. That's if they have a soul....

 None of that matters. All that matters is a few years having a laugh at times making some good out of all their mess and having a go at 'the man' almost for fun at times - poke him see what he is made of? .....and that did work. 

And was only to honour a fab young lass - no matter what. Nothing can take from that story.  Because there are no "three versions" - i have plenty of witnesses and plenty of paperwork on  all.  There was only ever one version of that time.  And it isn't really the version that the papers carried as all the paperwork proves but that's not important either it is only about in fact quite obvious right and wrong, and a enough people did see that with their own eyes and said so. I made no compromise, to get that under my belt even though gosh what a pain in the bum having to for some years make sure there were people around as 'witness'  - at various stages....good burghers and their husbands... others similarly  centre of their community and well known and thought of; I am most most most careful  - this was a full time operation for years....and have a perfect memory. 

I also continued to work on REAL LIFE solutions up until a few years ago. I recruited locally several elders of a church where they have a noticeboard on the wall "dont bother trying to preach conversion to him in fact don't talk  ever for gods sake to him not only will you never get a penny out of him, he's more likely to deconvert us with his [recently admitted by an elder] rather good preaching back - he turns our bible inside out and throws it back every time and hits the target too"

Sat with one such genuine friend who doesn't take our joking duels to heart over some time we debated how there is only one solution to family matters and also any child being subject to unhealthy psychological environments, as we cannot possibly afford this state or otherwise private form of child/family affairs...its nuts to think it has any more legs. Country's bankrupt: ONLY by ordinary friends, family, neighbours, even churchy losers, getting involved, taking risks to be part of bridging and assisting in standard family messes can we ever do anything about what is just getting even worse.  Sadly as none of the "Woodstock of The Mind" fakes of Hay-on-Wye ever did that, ever, that will not be in my movie - even chapter 3  why i left long ago...indeed it was poetical (i can) just how many seemed to relish talking t the telly but never other having a sane time immemorial helpful wise-soul (non judgemental)  talk with the child in question even when the dad invites them to as some year friends.... beyond belief. I think that says it all really.