This Man Tried To Escape The Country When Wrongly Imprisoned | Paradise Lost S1 EP2 | Wonder

for Phil and Lynne McLain a new life in West Africa seemed like paradise but when they fell victim to an elaborate con their world fell apart Phil was beaten arrested became a fugitive then a prisoner I was one kick away from possibly being killed the man I love I may never see again [Music] I've been fishing in the port way most of life and I could see the industry collapsing decline it fast I never really liked Weymouth much because it was really very quiet I was having a bad time my relationship to the point where divorce was inevitable I'd had a bad marriage it broke down then I met Phil it was love at first sight for me anyway he to be honest with you it didn't take too long to fall in love with her Phil wanted to make a change in direction as much as I did I was originally born in Rhodesia and spent the first part of my life there I think it's fair to say that I had a yearning to go back I'd like to have Peter I was always interested in Africa when I was younger Phil sold his house and we sold the fishing vessel would be had in the wane of harbor when we've seen that go we knew that was the beginning of a new start for us there off was happy just to get away from everything and we decided basically wanted to go to make the start was Africa [Music] eighteen years ago Phil and Lynn arrived in Gambia with their life savings full of hope for the future when we first tried in Gambia we immediately felt at home and you know fell in love of the place people were so welcoming kind warm popular with tourists and travelers Gambia seemed the perfect place to pursue their dream of running a motel together one of our good friends in Gambia Renu who's on the lookout for some sort of business and point today a motel which is gonna be coming up for lease it was totally rundown the paint was falling off the wall there wasn't a proper kitchen I think there was four tables just on the floor when the Birman slumped over the bear asleep there were people sleeping outside in hammocks on the front clothes on the floor but I've got a good imagination I I could see it in about two minutes there have been perfect although we knew there was a lot of money to be spent there I thought we can really make something of this we were probably about to use the best part of our life savings [Music] [Music] I think friends family thought we were a tad crazy taken on this project especially investing into a country we didn't know but you know I felt we wanted to be ourselves do what we wanted to do it did cost more than we thought in the end I think we close to 70,000 pounds spent on the place as soon as we open doors the customers just came from nowhere they were coming from 20 kilometers away they were coming from the city it was swinging it was really happy evening we felt we'd become part of the community you know we felt at home [Music] for the next few weeks the motel flourished this guy walked into the bar struggled staggered into the bar I could clearly see wasn't well and my immediate thoughts were to help him he introduced himself as Nick he seemed quite a nice chap he said I'd like a cup of tea if you don't mind it explained that he lost his job he'd been living on the streets his last cut the three days he wasn't well so often in a room which we had an empty room I think NIM was Nick's Savior basically doing a nursing job really and she looked after him well after a few days he was better he was up and about on his feet he made himself very useful he was helping around the place nothing behind the bone doing the job in the Birman it's gone elsewhere he just fitted in Nick and Phil got on really well I was quite happy for that because Phil hadn't actually met many people and it was great actually to have Nick about we both agreed he was a good asset of the business Nick I swear was a magician he was very good at carrot trips excellent but he always liked to do it for money he'd always have a bet for anybody anytime you could bet on it you'd never win against Nick but the locals loved it he could keep customers amused all day long we had another guy come in the bar his name was John when he first tired of drinking in the bar you can help notice and good learner predominately Muslim country and he used to drink Guinness he was quiet guy he'd sit there on his own but he became a regular customer and blended in after one and he's seen a very nice chat John and Nick seems to know each other they go through to the back rooms out of earshot I always thought sometimes I picked up on a couple of sort of kind of strange conversations unusual things about money and quite vast amounts of money they would talk millions when I would go in they would stop talking something wasn't ringing right to me Lynne said you spending too much time with this John and and it seemed a bit shady she said my dad said that was perhaps you're being a little paranoid just don't worry about it you said Nick's fine don't worry about him boy should all be suspicious they handed me wrong Butlins intuition told her differently should have listened linen fill MacLaine's Gambian motel was flourishing they were planning a trip back to the UK and their friend Nick had a proposition Nick approached me and just asked me as simple as you might ask the woman to go and down a shop do you might be do me a favour Nick was asking the favor on behalf of John what is it he saw if you have in London cut the stones you said worth you know two or three hundred pounds you can drop into a friend of mine there a children if you bring the money back he's selling help repay for all you've done he described them if I remember right here's a couple of Melos which services are very small diamonds I said all right I said well when we do go back yeah no problem [Music] taking Nick's precious stones with them Lynn and Phil set off back to Britain thinking they were leaving the motel in safe hands [Music] but when they got back Nick stones turned out to be not so precious after all for innovative second week I was up in London I took a new dress nikka given I spoke to the guy in there he took when look at him said but there topaz and he said fifty pound he said if you're lucky mmm I said well I I told it small-timers he said no said topaz he said no don't deal in topaz he said so I'm not gonna buy them and I sort nothing of import a carried on what I was doing and learning went back to Weymouth we had a phone call from a friend which owned a nightclub just own road from us in The Gambia she said there's trouble at the motel I think you need to make your way back and saw to aim so he decided that he would go back a couple of days before me and that I would stay in UK and finish off what business had to be finished I couldn't imagine what could have gone wrong there's a drop against the motel everything looked fairly normal I could clearly see that place has been ransacked lakhs has been broken doors have been broken open I think practically everything had gone to hold the boost even lampshades were missing furniture curtains tables chairs drinks food awaiting through our office that was bare I can remember my stomach churning over just wondering the reason why well at Arirang and saw John approached me John was was Shaitan where's my diamonds where's my money you stole my diamonds I still haven't stolen your diamonds I still have your diamonds I said did not die mr. topaz my diamonds I want my diamonds a nice fair question I say you're not responsible for for all these things missing are you he said it's all mine he said until you pay me so you don't get them back but to pay you what he said four million Darcy's as quarter of a million pounds I saw the guy mr. crazy and then got the henchmen they'd into me and beat me to the floor and kicked me and kicked me her to my diamonds my first thoughts were to go to the local police station and try and get him arrested and that's where I went very very angry I said you know we got the motel round the corner I've been robbed broken into all the things are gone explain that it seemed that John was responsible for stealing all the things and it was almost like a a piece of magically appeared from nowhere John walked out of the room and he was laughing and that butter she wrote me back boom that's the man and that's when I figured out this has all been planned I got pushed into the cell the stench was terrible there's one bucket between eight people which was overflowing no seats no benches I remember thinking to myself I've been stitched up what do they want which was very apparent of course did money it was a game they're gonna be playing and I was think to myself I'd have to prepare myself for the morning but the only thing is I didn't getting sleep the cell was undone and they said to me we're taking you into CID room you will get your chance to explain their I felt quite encouraged that anybody who's slightly level-headed certainly in CID Department we don't understand what's happened so I had a little bit of encouragement [Music] he had a smile first thing you said uh mr. Philippine said what are you doing here well they brought you here why didn't you tell me all about it made me feel quite good in amazed every time I said so I'll do he said oh really you know oh no you know and he had in his hand a piece of paper we she asked me to look at and it was a written statement he said all of what you do is read this he said in sign it I read it and so much my amazement who's a confession of a cherub steamed to diamonds and I said what the hell do you think you're doing I taught up and prime him he just slammed in like a bird on his prey so you'd turn for mr. nice guy straight away to mr. nasty and I can't explain how nasty was with it he said this is a serious charge he said we're talking forming in Damascus he said it's my job to get through that of you so I'm gonna keep you in the station till I get the truce [Music] still hadn't phoned me that day to tell me that he had arrived safely I was begin to get worried then another day went by and I was getting pretty concerned now I managed to sleep just maybe the old 10 minutes 15 minutes max whilst the officers were out the room but Semin it's later time for question the game various ways they woke me usually a Harris clan with a foot on the chair sometimes they pushing my head up stuff on the back mr. Phillip wake up time for questioning during that period on must being questioned 50 60 times over the period of 6 days same routine as we make statement refused to make a statement I never thought once assignment not at all there's a lot of people which would have signed anything just to get out of there I knew if I did that there's worse to come not better phone rang I answer and there was a strange voice on the end said that phil was locked up in the police station and I wasn't to travel to the Gambia because it was too dangerous I ran to the bathroom and almost absolutely violently sick and being on my own was really difficult as well i felt quite helpless I probably knew I could be dead it's me it's me Lynn I think made other contacts and phoned our lawyer he said you know what serious trouble you're in don't you you could get 10 years in prison for this maybe I'm the only person which can help you but like all things you have to pay and of course I was carrying cash and the police then taking anything from me and I made a payment to him at seven a half thousand dollars in order to seek for my release or bail he said don't worry he said this time tomorrow he said you'll be free and he disappeared [Music] I think it was on the fourth or fifth day I was taken outside onto the steps and the peace station be able to talk to my lawyer and the lawyer said mr. Phillip I've got bad news for you he said well the truth is I'm not acting on behalf of John name he's paid me dr. gates you I was speechless and I said to him to have my money back please yes no not only did double-cross me it stole the money and that was our lawyer after six days in police custody and exhausted after very little sleep Phil was bundled off to court at the magistrates call there is a variety of witnesses which appeared there is John of course wishes the complainants and one of the main witnesses was Nick I was officially being cherished in court with the theft of two diamonds to the value of foreman in Damascus quarter million pounds the magistrates asked John to describe these diamonds and his description of diamonds was there as big as an egg they were saying i personally tested these diamonds and agreed with them they were worth four million devices if I didn't bring four million devices I would let him cut my throat it seemed that the magistrate appeared to believe him when Nick came to court I didn't know what to expect this was the man which Lynn and I had rescued even saved his life he's the man which was our best friend he's the man we trusted he told a pack of lies a complete pack of lies Nick said that I had switched the Diamonds and replaced them with something completely different I just knew there and then that he was part of the conspiracy I felt about Nick a total betrayal of what I classified only months earlier has been one of our best friends Phil's case was adjourned the court took his passport and he was released on bail for the first time in six days he was able to speak to Lin they all had a lump in his throat I could hear that I was crying as well and all I wanted to do is you know get back to the Gambian see Phil you know it was missing him so much but Phil continued to tell me that he didn't want me to come to the Gambia he was told they would kill me ice painted them very clearly the threats from John mosconi's if your wife comes here I'll kill her she's dead if she comes in this country he spoke a few more words and the I love Jews and he said he had to go and with that we said goodbye but I wasn't sure whether I'd ever really speak to him again [Music] freed on bail by a Gambian court phil mcclain would soon face final judgment I felt determined to go back to the motel it's our motel paid for and I saw no reason why I shouldn't care and run that regardless of the situation don't run away [Music] [Music] a term rain and out of the blue John stood there no clothes all apart from the thorn and he said I've come to kill you he was chanting spitting here and there and everywhere I thought this guy's nuts but he was being very very serious this guy was a witch doctor this probably explain why he seemed to have such power over people [Music] but then out of the blue his henchmen lunged at me and just beat the crap out of me it took three of them to do it this time I've fought back I've got a kind of blows him but three against one is not no and they kicked me to the ground and they kicked hard I lost both my dog teeth was bruised or rain the rib cage I was cut on the face cut on the arms I had boot burns on the chest I was one kick away from possibly being killed in fear of his life Phil abandoned the motel he took refuge in a friend's secure compound well out of town after three months apart it finally seemed safe for Lin to join him [Music] it was like we've been apart for a long time and there was just so pleased to be together again but the sense of safety lasted only a few days you'd obviously found out where I moved to and it started off with sticks being banged on the wall on the outside the compound and tins and drums being beaten and whistles being blown we could hear names being called for sure we knew is directed at us they actually got over the wall into the campaign itself and and they started dancing chants and it was terrifying they were working up to a frenzy we could see them going rained rain rain rain the next thing we knew there was a rustle on the roof [Music] I never work in the way through the grass roofing dinner a pair of hands and arms appeared through the roof [Music] immediately I just picked up the first thing which happened to be a broom handle and started hitting these hands if we hadn't have done fended them off they I think they probably would have entered the room but it was pretty scary who knows they will disappear back over the wall and in that episode was over but nay we started not to feel safe there now that John had discovered their hideaway they were both at risk and Phil persuaded Lynne to fly home the leave in is to Harrisburg the departure you know I can't describe to holliness which is deathly Phil couldn't leave Gambia the authority still held his passport and in just five days time he was due in court to face the verdict I saw that their odds were well stacked against me but you see nothing but bad Khmer this I stood to go to prison for ten years and and I didn't like that idea faced with the prospect of prison Phil came to a decision he would go on the run using illegal people smugglers to get him out of the country he paid the right people you take the route to be caught for me that would have been very bad news put in herds of the Gambian government trying to escape don't lose my bail and end up in the prison his plan was to cross the border into Senegal make his way to the coast and charter a boat to Sierra Leone where he had contacts who could get him back to England but with his trial date looming he had just five days to do it you'd hit one tree on one side and the theater would lurch the other side and and then you hit another tree then they base it back into the track and this is five errors like this at the end of day one Phil was over the border but now he was entering war-torn Senegal [Music] so the journey was going really quite well but the vehicle started to slow down and you could clearly hear the anxiety amongst the people are strapping with [Applause] person who says passports wishes the one thing which I was dreading because I was caught basically I've been returned back to the Gambia and at that point I thought plan B quick if it works elsewhere why not bribe them it's the only thing which is gonna work for me [Music] nice hope somebody could go either way they could either say no what you're doing here or they can take the money I'm sure he could say I was shaking it was my lucky day they took the money I saw of escaping one and me more stops might there be phil reached the coast now he needed a boat to smuggle him to Sierra Leone but the locals were nervous I spent arrows Narrows Hagelin with the fishermen there they would have run their very high risk they didn't who I was what I done was I was skating from they seem to think the money didn't ain't--we the risk and they didn't really want to take me it was a severe blow but Phil resolved to continue the escape on foot between him and Sierra Leone lay three hundred miles of jungle swamp and rebel territory that entailed taken a bush trek through swamp area in their crocodile infested I first met with mangroves which took me hours across and by then I had actually crossed what I guess was the borderline indicative sound and then I met with the other side the river with the other man grows in at that stage I thought there's no way I'm gonna get through this I felt beaten really with just two days left before his trial Phil had to face the inevitable the escape had failed he had no alternative but to turn back and face the court I took what I think was the sensible decision to term only go back but the other thing we have led me to that decision is I had a feeling inside me that I should go back if only just to clear my name phil was smuggled back into Gambia just in time for judgement day I can remember leaving about 7:00 in the morning and I thought I'd walk to the court I remember watching the birds is a walk past the trees and looking at life and nature and thinking well perhaps I'll make missus on the other hand in two hours time I might be walking back up through this road so I was walking into the unknown [Music] the hearing was brief Phil was found guilty and sentenced to six years in prison with hard labor when he said those words guilty can believe it shocked Inara you know that they can actually even think of convicted anybody on this evidence my first thoughts were for Lynn that she was gonna be perhaps on her own for up to six years it was like a nightmare it was like my life had finished and I was finding it ever so deeply sorry for Phil Phil's destination was Gambia's notorious state prison mile too the brutality immediately when I got in there I was beating the cell with it with the truncheon a drastic place inside and the death rate is very high just on malaria alone I heard stories that was the first white man to be in that prison in the last two years the last white man was carried out in the box logic simply told me I don't think I'm gonna last the first month phase was pitch scare so I think fed once a day it usually consisted of a small bowl of rice and just a fish head the hard labor which I've been sentenced to sin became clear in my day one it involved pain rice into a curse the stick probably weighed maybe 40 50 pounds I was paying in the food for the day for the prisoners within and as you painted the rice so the Flies pitched and every time you come down with a piece of wood which is like a hammer you just squashed the flies straight into the rice and that somewhat put me off of my diet of rice and fish because I just knew what I was even was rice flies and fish I'm not a big chap and on certain he'd lost a lot of weight not strength already I could so easily have fallen very very old but exhaustion dehydration and malnutrition so when the guys weren't looking the inmates were good enough to take over for me and and paying for me and then sit me down out of the Sun because one of the problems it was done in the midday Sun and maybe 40 degrees C this is trapping big chap which was in the same cell as me he said if I whistle he said you get back up here nay and carry on I would have been in a really really bad way without them with the inmates help Phil had survived his first days in captivity but he still had another six years to go at Gambia's mile to prison Phil McLain had served two weeks of his six-year sentence one of the guards came to sell and shaded my name said visitor and everybody clap her hands inside the cell and they said you're very lucky nobody get sisters here to my surprise I could see mr. Norman Madison he was a British businessman who'd set up a company in The Gambia we'd only just met him briefly but it did say anytime you ever need anything just to cool and which I did accord Norman Eve's in a terrible shock in state they give him six years I didn't think he would last six months he convinced me of his honesty and it was quite obvious to me that he had been set up and conned what clinched it for Norman was the name of the man at the heart of the scam a man he'd employed in Gambia Nick Nick was acting as our agent in Gambia but it became apparent the man was an out-and-out con I myself had been rubbed for some 35,000 pounds Nick's environment was very much with the Mathias out there he said in an elongated organized and try and get you some bail on appeal and if we can get bail for you said we can get you eight but I cannot promise anything whatsoever he said I can do my best [Music] norman's lawyer took on the case and launched an appeal a week later phil was released on bail I was getting a range of applause from hundreds of inmates so that made me feel good I looked into the the drivers mirror and I could see myself looking like somebody had been abandoned on it there's the owner for two years and could have easily dived into a bin for food and that's what I look like I felt like five months later after a short hearing at Gambia's Supreme Court the charges were thrown out and Phil was acquitted he was free free I looked at film Phil looked at me and and it was his face change I could see he was happy it made me happy and it was almost like a new life starting again static aphasia of course we were finding justice has been done the most emotional thing was when leaving the Gambia was passing the motel I could hardly look at it actually I was happy to leave it behind me but also upset at the same time we'd lost our dream we'd lost all hope we'd lost everything even though we only had 10 pound in our pocket we were together again and that's what mattered [Music] the dream of Gambia is long gone but in Spain Phil and Lynn have found a smaller safer version of paradise I mean the most important thing is linen I've got each other and second of that is I'm still alive they're not valued live probably better these days never did before we've got a perfect relationship we're perfect friends wait together today and it's just great video polite content but it's always in the back of the mind that you know we're never get back what we had before but it's only money after all is any money

Channel: Wonder

Views: 740,201

Rating: 4.7073731 out of 5

Keywords: wonder paradise lost, paradise lost, paradise lost full episodes, paradise lost documentary, paradise losts wonder, man escapes prison, escape, prison escape, fleeing country, jungle survival, survival videos, wonder survival videos, prison abroad, holiday turns to nightmare, wrongly imprisoned, man wrongly imprisoned, jungle escape, epic escape

Id: 236evV-nK7g

Length: 42min 34sec (2554 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 12 2019