In a raw and harrowing new interview, Michaella McCollum has laid bare the brutal dehumanisation she faced inside a notorious Peruvian prison, detailing a shocking incident where she was forced to strip naked on her first night.
The Northern Irish woman, who was infamously jailed alongside Melissa Reid for attempting to smuggle £1.5 million worth of cocaine out of Peru in 2013, is now sharing the full, terrifying extent of her ordeal for a new documentary.
The First Night of Terror
McCollum describes being thrown into a cell with 40 other women, a scene of utter chaos and fear. The true horror began when a prison guard entered and issued a chilling command.
"The guard came in and just said, 'Take your clothes off'," McCollum recounts. "I was ordered to strip completely naked, right there in the cell. It was the most degrading and terrifying moment of my life. You have no rights, no dignity. You are completely at their mercy."
A Psychological Battle for Survival
Beyond the physical ordeal, McCollum speaks to the intense psychological warfare of incarceration. The constant powerlessness and the threat of violence were designed to break her spirit.
She reveals the grim reality of her daily existence:
- Overcrowded cells with no privacy
- The ever-present fear of violence from both inmates and guards
- A complete loss of autonomy and control over her own body
- The strategic dehumanisation used as a tool of control
Her story goes far beyond the headlines of the 'Peru Two' scandal, delving into the profound and lasting trauma inflicted by the prison system.
Breaking the Silence in a New Documentary
Now free and rebuilding her life, McCollum is breaking her silence in the powerful new documentary 'The Peru Two: The Real Story'. Her testimony serves as a stark look inside the world of foreign incarceration and the heavy price paid for a catastrophic mistake.
The film promises to challenge public perceptions, moving beyond the celebrity gossip to expose the raw human cost of crime and punishment.
