Shipwrecked lives of the Freshwater Five accused
JAMIE GREEN, 52
OPERATED his own fishing boat for 20 years and supplied London restaurants and fishmongers with crab and lobster. Sentenced to 24 years. A father of three, his wife, Nikki, died from cancer while he was in prison. A final visit to see her in hospital before she died was cancelled at the last moment, but he was able to attend her funeral in handcuffs. He was ready to leave Ford Open Prison in West Sussex yesterday, before news came through the appeal had failed.
JONATHAN BEERE, 51
A father of three and a grandfather, he was with Green at Ford prison yesterday, when both had to return to their cells. He was a mechanic before buying a scaffolding business in 2001. Alone among the five, he was not on the boat. He had driven Dresic from the mainland to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight – and that was enough for him to be jailed for 24 years.
DANNY PAYNE, 46
HE is back on the Isle of Wight working on building sites after serving his 18-year sentence. He had wanted to stay at home with his girlfriend and dog on the crucial night, but hadn’t wanted to let the others down. He worked on building sites and took jobs with Green when business was slow. He says of his time in prison: ‘Either you learn to deal with it, or you come out feet first, in a coffin.’
SCOTT BIRTWISTLE, 29
HE saw Green as a mentor. He was released on licence after completing his 14-year sentence in 2018 and has moved home with his mother Sharon. He told the Mail: ‘You try telling a prospective employer you’ve been in jail for importing drugs. It puts them off.’
ZORAN DRESIC, 45
MARRIED father of three came to the UK with a false passport. Prosecution said he had come to oversee a drug drop. He was jailed 24 years, but repatriated to serve his sentence in Montenegro.