John Massey, the UK's longest-serving prisoner, has been denied visitors for a year following his release in May after nearly 43 years in jail. Massey, now 70, was sentenced to life for murder in 1975 but served more than double the recommended minimum of 20 years due to multiple escapes and breaches of licence conditions.
Speaking to the Guardian, Massey described how he escaped prison four times to be with seriously ill relatives. His most recent escape came at age 64, when he scaled Pentonville prison's wall with a makeshift rope and hook. He was recaptured two days later.
Massey's original crime occurred in 1975 at the Cricketers pub in Clapton, east London. He shot bouncer Charlie Higgins at point-blank range with a sawn-off shotgun after a friend was stabbed in the eye with a broken bottle during a brawl. 'My overwhelming memory of that evening is horror,' Massey said. 'I was really full of hatred and, before it could fizzle out, I went and done the deadly damage.'
His sister Jane, who accompanied him during the interview, said: 'He was young and stupid. It was a moment of madness and you can't turn back the clock, unfortunately.' Massey's two older sisters were sentenced to three years for harbouring him after his crime, and his younger brother Terry killed himself while Massey was in prison.
Massey's childhood included time in care and approved schools before he turned to armed bank robbery. Despite his skill as a carpenter, he remained committed to crime. Now released, he reflects on the changes in the prison system over his 43 years inside.
