LIVING HELL
Brit left to rot in ‘world’s toughest jail’ where inmates run riot, thugs are tortured & stabbings are rife
The notorious jail is home to rapists, murderers and drug traffickers
A BRITISH backpacker left to rot in the world's toughest jail has to sleep on the floor and pay for his own cell.
John Henshaw, from Atherton, Greater Manchester, is serving time in a hellhole prison where inmates are tortured and stabbings are rife.
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The 39-year-old was travelling through South America when he allegedly carried a "tiny" amount of cannabis at La Paz International Airport in Bolivia on February 9.
He was thrown into San Pedro prison on a drug trafficking charge and has to await his trial.
His worried ex-wife and 15-year-old daughter said he has no access to clean water, clean clothes, food or even a cell.
John reportedly has to sleep on the floor next to 30 other prisoners and share a toilet with 120 until he has the funds for a bed.
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The overcrowded prison was initially built for 600 people but now reportedly holds 3,000 inmates - with prisoners having to buy a cell.
Money rules everything in San Pedro as big-time dealers or wealthy politicians live in "suites" with wi-fi, carpets and even jacuzzis inside.
At the other end of the scale, poor prisoners starve to death in a freezing labyrinth of alleys inside the 15-metre high walls.
San Pedro is notoriously run entirely by the prisoners themselves with guards turning a blind eye to criminal activities.
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The prisoners, a vast majority of whom were in for drug charges, run a cocaine factory with the drug "cheaper than a plate of food".
Violence is rampant as newcomers get stabbed by the thugs or even electrocuted in the shallow pool.
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John has already spent 50 days in the snake pit - yet cases like his can reportedly take up to 90 days to be processed in order for a full decision to be made.
His family back in Britain are sick with worry for his safety and just want him home.
They've raised almost £3,000 on GoFundMe to pay for his legal fees and any essentials that could be delivered to the prison.
The backpacker has been surviving on a ham and cheese toastie and a bowl of broth a day, buying food from savvy inmates who set up side hustles to get by.
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John is unaware of what's going on outside the prison walls as he doesn't have any visitors - a privilege reserved for those in a cell.
Meanwhile, other inmates even bring their wives, kids and pets to live with them in the cell - with children playing surrounded by murderers and rapists.
On the other end of the world, John's daughter, Kaitlyn, pleads to be reunited with her dad.
She said: "I spoke to him last Saturday - he was asking about me, I think to take his mind off where he is.
"There's barely anyone that speaks English there. He said it's overrun and dirty - he has to sleep on the floor.
"I've sent him letters and pictures which have managed to get through, but I don't think there are any guards on the inside."
He's a really good dad and his daughter is really missing him.
Toni, John's friend
She speaks to her dad as much as it's possible amid preparing for her exams and said John seems "fed up" with waiting to see a judge.
Kaitlyn continued: "It's just been really stressful as I'm constantly worrying about how he is and on top of that I've got revision for my exams.
"He said you only get one meal a day and what they give him sounds disgusting - some people don't get anything at all.
"I try to speak to him as much as I can to keep us both positive. I just want him to be safe and out of these conditions."
His family says he's sleeping rough in a "very dangerous place", and hope that the cell will ensure some safety.
John's friend, Lewis Powell, managed to speak with him briefly after John got hold of a phone at one point.
Lewis said: "It's a very bizarre kind of prison. It's a hellhole.
"You're paying for the privilege of getting a cell in this horrible prison. There's a huge risk to his safety really.
"When I heard he had been charged with trafficking I thought god, that's extreme, considering there's cartels inside the prison itself.
"He's just a tourist travelling South America and he's been caught up in this."
Speaking from here in the UK, Toni, who is trying to assist with the legal procedure, said: "He can only get money in drip feed from the embassy. If he's got a load of money, he'll just get robbed.
"I'm scared because he's a British man. He doesn't deserve what's happening to him in there, he's had no previous charges.
"He's a really good dad and his daughter is really missing him."
John is hopeful he won't have to spend the entire 90-day waiting term in San Pedro as he anticipates to hear a judge's ruling regarding his charges.
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A British Embassy representative in Bolivia confirmed that John was receiving assistance and that he was incarcerated at San Pedro.
The Ministry of Justice in Bolivia was approached for comment.
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