Walsall rapist complains about lack of TV in his cell at HMP Stafford
A convicted rapist has complained about his life in a Staffordshire jail, saying he can't watch television in his cell and only gets £4 a week in private cash.
John Painter, 25, from Walsall Road, Walsall, also bemoaned his loss of visitor hours and time to associate with his fellow prisoners as he is on the 'basic' regime inside HMP Stafford.
Painter is serving time in the sex offenders prison, which also houses notorious paedophile Rolf Harris, after raping a woman who had offered him a couch to sleep on when he said he had nowhere to stay.
He was jailed for eight years and seven months back in December 2014 after admitting rape, assault and attempting to pervert the course of justice at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
The court heard how Painter struck after his victim took pity on him. He became aggressive when the victim rejected his advances as he hit her, grabbed her hair and pushed her to the floor.
He hurled her mobile phone out of reach, smacked her face and warned he would keep hitting her until she engaged in sexual activity with him. He left the address threatening to kill the woman if she told the police.
He has now penned a letter to Inside Time, the national magazine for prisoners, bemoaning his lack of privileges inside.
In his letter Painter said he had spent most of his time inside on the 'basic' regime because of 'petty rules in the system' and 'some fault' of his own.
He said: "Whilst you are held on basic you lose your television, your clothes, your right to associate with other prisoners, one hour of your two-hour visiting rights, your right to your own private cash except for £4 weekly, and you can also lose your job depending on what job you were doing before being put on basic.
"And let us not forget that you can get put on basic without even an adjudication. You are also then labelled a nuisance and troublemaker by staff and treated accordingly.
"All of the above are individual punishments to a prisoner. My question is – how can this be legal to give out five or 10 punishments in one package called basic without a trial or real evidence being presented? Is this just another example of the unfair and corrupt system we have to live in? And if so, no wonder so many people choose crime if this is an example of the 'fair and just' way that the system treats us.
"Basic is nothing but extra punishment that can be given out without trial or evidence, sometimes without warning, just because staff don't like the look of you or suspect you of not comforming to their ideal prisoner."
