Locked up at 21, I discovered I was creative and could express myself through words. Now I am a poet, a broadcaster, an author – things I’d never have believed possible
It all started in 2008, when I got involved in a fight in a club while I was trying to protect my sister, who had been attacked by three women I thought were her friends. It was a fight-or-flight moment that would end with me in cuffs. I was 20 years old. I had never been in trouble with the police, but I was charged with grievous bodily harm with intent and spent about eight months on bail.
Being on bail feels like being in limbo. You start losing your identity, court hearing by court hearing, where people talk about you but you’re never allowed to speak, besides confirming your name and date of birth. I spent the whole eight months on bail fearing what would happen to me in prison and being threatened by the women who attacked my sister.
