A Troubled Soul

I'm worried about a young man I know, he's had a very hard life up til now and I can't imagine what the future holds for him.

He ran away from home when he was aroud 7 years old and ended up at the ferry port where he carried peoples bags to earn some money. He would sleep on empty market stalls or in cars. He supplemented the money he earned carrying bags by pick pocketing on the ferry.

I first met him about seven years ago in 2008 - when he was probably around 12 years old. It's hard to tell his age as until the last couple of years he was always quite small and his mother can't remember when he was born.

I would always see him when I went to the airport to drop off or meet teams and I liked him. He was good company and we would chat while I was waiting for the ferry. I offered to help him get back into school and he seemed keen, but then he just disappeared.........his friends when I saw them were always full of his escapades, but I didn't see him again for a couple of years until.....

.....one day in 2011 I was walking through Kroo Bay when I heard someone call my name - it was my young friend. He had a big open wound on his head, one arm was swollen, bent and obviously broken - the other arm was attached to a police man. He was obviously in some kind of trouble, but was being taken for medical treatment. It was a very rushed meeting as the policeman wasn't much in the mood for chatting, but I told the boy I'd try to find him.

It took me a few weeks but I found out that he was being held at DEMS the children's prison. I got a lawyer for him and when the case went to court (he was accused of stealing a phone) it was dismissed.

I got to know the boy better and learned more about his past. He agreed to go to live at the Nehemiah boys home....but was only there a couple of months before he ran away.

He's had numerous small police cases over the years, then a couple of years ago he was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy (handling stolen goods). He was taken to the adult prison at Port Loco where he spent 8 months as a remand prisoner. When the case eventually went to court it was dismissed.

I visited him a few times while he was in prison, he was quite ill while he was there, I was hopeful the shock of adult prison would be enough for him to turn over a new leaf when he was released but he still keeps getting into trouble.

Twice this year he has spent time in the cells, once for fighting and once accused of theft.
Just this week he borrowed a friends motorbike and had an accident, luckily he's not badly injured but unfortunately he doesn't have a driving license so he's wanted by the police again now.

Aside from all the trouble he's been in he has a wonderful heart - he is so good with disabled children and not afraid of them the way that so many people are - he talks to them, plays with them and comforts them if they are sick. He's respectful to older people and he's fiercely protective of me. I see such promise in him, and it makes me so sad that other people just see him as a wannabe gangster and a troublemaker, when I know he can be so much more.

He's told me he wants to join the army - so I will look into that for him. I am out of other options for him for now and I really don't know the best way to help him. I do know that unless there is a change in his life he will end up either back in prison again or dead.