special preview
did not fit
a graphic novel raphael rowe with the journalist's prison notes by
Hey there! I guess you may have seen, heard, or read that I spent 12 years in prison for crimes I did not commit? Well, it’s true. The only reason I am here now and able to share my story with you is because I never stopped fighting to prove my innocence. Eventually, I won and my convictions were overturned by the Court of Appeal in 2000. I was free...but changed forever. I knew, first hand, what injustice felt like, looked like and what prison can do to a human being. I am scarred by my life experience but I have not allowed it to hold me back.
what are you most afraid of?
maybe the fear of darkness.
or it would be the dread of being contaminated with a deadly virus?
sometimes it can be the simple fear of being alone.
at the age of 20, it was definitely not on my list...
...to be arrested and convicted of a crime that I did not commit.
sentenced to life. this was mine worst nightmare.
but it didn't last a night. it was real and lasted for twelve long years.
a life worthing less than a cigarette end in the floor.
19th December 1988, at 25 Lawrie park Road, london.
the place known as white house surrounded by a massive police force.
to understand why, we need to rewind a little bit more.
did not fit
special #0preview
aggravAted writer
raphael rowe
script adaptation and art
auracebio pereira
I was woken by loud thudding noises.
and I realy felt pissed off about being woken up.
did Michael and his brother Lloyd were fighting?
my old friends didn’t usually fight. but they often argued.
i need to see what the fuss was about...
The first thing I saw was Lloyd slowly walking towards the front door with his hands in the air.
Police! Don’t move or we shoot!
The shock rocked me back and I stumbled.
put your hands in the air! I kept shaking my head.
Is there anyone else in the flat?
Then the smoke from the cigarette started to burn my eyes.
they shouted continuously.
I went to move my hand to my mouth to remove the cigarette. when all hell broke loose.
One of the masked men dived to the floor.
and made
to fire.
no , don’t
shoot!
put your hands back in the air!
I did as I was told sharpish.
They could see from the little I had on that I could not be concealing any weapon. but their tactic was obviously to scare the hell out of me, and they did.
I’ll never forget that sound of their guns being cocked as they threatened to shoot me.
I had to wiggle my lips to shake the fag from my mouth as it was stuck to my lip, my mouth was so dry.
It was difficult to hear much of what they were saying as they barked out order after order, which began to disorientate me.
I understood that they wanted me to turn around and walk backwards to them at the door entrance.
As I did, they were all over me.
My hands were cuffed with some kind of plastic cuff that dug into the wrist.
was there any other person in the flat? no.
The last thing I remember seeing as I was dragged from the room was...
I was dragged out of the flat and down the stairs backwards.
...the cigarette I’d dropped from my mouth burning the carpet.
which bloody well hurt and injured my back.
As I was being dragged down I caught a glimpse of two policemen... ...with their knees forced in the back of Jason Cooper, a known burglar.
He was face down flat on the floor, eyes bulging with terror. outside, As I was looking around in shock I was approached by a uniformed officer. I am arresting you for aggravated burglary.
What’s aggravated burglary?
it is Breaking into other people’s homes with weapons.
Before I could ask any more questions I was dragged away and shoved in a van.
Each of us who were removed from the white house were put into separate vans.
Two plain-clothes officers got in beside me and drove off at high speed with sirens blaring.
At that moment, a sense of fear engulfed me that words can not express.
these pages are a sneak peak of the graphic novel
did not fit keep updated about the #01 release date
special preview
did not fit
a graphic novel raphael rowe with the journalist's prison notes by
making of
season 5 january Ø8, 2021