A British pensioner accused of smuggling £200,000 worth of meth into Chile has been released from a prison in the South American country on ill health grounds.
William ‘Billy Boy’ Eastment, 80, had been languishing in a high-security Chilean prison since May, where his health was said to be rapidly declining.
The bowls-loving Brit, originally from Wales, was reportedly struck down multiple times by pneumonia while in custody, compounding a catalogue of existing medical issues.
Eastment has now been transferred out of Santiago 1 Penitentiary following a hearing at the Santiago Guarantee Court, where both prosecutors and defence lawyers agreed his physical condition had badly deteriorated, the Mirror reported.
His lawyer, Macarena Vial, told the court: ‘He is in a very critical health situation, with chronic problems that have been severely aggravated in Santiago 1.
‘He is a person requiring care, basically. He has a chronic lung disease, a colostomy that poses a constant risk of infection, and a series of other problems.
‘He has a hernia right below his colostomy, which requires surgery and means he has to use special bags. They are expensive, must be brought from abroad, and the prison doesn’t provide them.
‘Every time his supply runs out, he hasn’t had the medical supplies to contain the waste, constantly exposing himself to the risk of infection,’ she said.
William ‘Billy Boy’ Eastment, 80, had been languishing in a high-security Chilean prison since May, where his health was said to be rapidly declining
Chilean authorities allegedly discovered £200,000 worth of methamphetamine concealed in his luggage in May last year
‘Obtaining colostomy bags has been quite complex. The family had to transfer funds to the embassy, and from there they bought them and sent them to Santiago. It’s a very difficult coordination because you have to coordinate with the Gendarmerie in a prison that is overwhelmed,’ she added.
The court heard Eastment had lost more than three stone in weight during his time in custody.
Vial said: ‘Today, he is practically no longer self-sufficient; the risk of flight is minimal.’
Under the ruling, Eastment will serve house arrest in a shelter in western Santiago arranged with support from Chile’s Public Criminal Defence Office, where he will receive daily care and supervision.
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British pensioner is ‘fighting for life’ in Chilean prison where he has been locked up since May
‘He will be able to access his treatments, and they will provide him with the medications he needs. It was a big effort, but it turned out well,’ Vial said.
During his detention, Eastment struggled with language barriers and relied on other inmates to communicate.
His lawyer said: ‘For the first six or eight months, he was with someone who spoke native English, and they formed a very nice friendship. After that, he was more alone.’
She added that his emotional state had fluctuated. ‘At first, he went through some very difficult times because he didn’t see much of a way out. But we’ve tried to support him and give him some hope that this isn’t permanent.
‘Even so, he managed to build relationships within the prison. He’s someone who inspires compassion; many people have taken care of him.
‘Right now, he’s in the best condition I’ve seen him in since he was arrested, but it’s still a very fragile condition.’
In May last year, Chilean authorities allegedly discovered £200,000 worth of methamphetamine concealed in his luggage.
Sergio Paredes, head of the PDI anti-narcotics unit at Santiago airport, said Eastment told officers he had been handed the suitcase by a stranger in Mexico shortly before boarding his flight.
Eastment maintains he was ensnared in an elaborate scam
‘He alleged he had been deceived,’ Paredes said after the arrest on May 26.
‘He claimed he had been promised a prize of £3.7 million for delivering the suitcase to its final destination – and was even carrying a rudimentary certificate referring to the prize.’
‘He told us he was going to spend the night in Santiago and fly to Australia the next day,’ the officer added.
Eastment maintains he was ensnared in an elaborate scam.
He has told prosecutors he believed he was corresponding with figures linked to the International Monetary Fund, before being instructed to travel abroad in relation to an alleged inheritance.
His lawyer said: ‘In these emails, a person named Carolina, whose surname he does not remember, informed him that one of his relatives in New Zealand had died and that in order to access that person’s inheritance, he had to travel to Auckland, New Zealand, to sign certain documents at a public notary’s office.’
