I was born in Brambles Farm and for a while I lived with my mum, my dad and my four brothers and sisters, but when I was ten I was sent to an approved school in Stanhope because they said I nicked things and that I didn’t attend school and that I set fires. It’s true that I did set fire to a car once. I stayed in Stanhope for six years and during that time I saw my parents about once a month.

I used to escape and make my way home because I wasn’t happy but when I was brought back to the children’s home I would be punished by being made to run up and down the stairs. They also made me stand in front of the washing machine and watch the red light.  And they would cancel my home visits. While in care I was given a green medicine, I think it was a tranquiliser, and it’s that which I blame for the psychosis I suffer from now. I came out of care when I was sixteen but I was soon in prison.

I’ve lived in the bungalow I’m in now for eight years. It’s owned by a housing association, but they don’t look after it because they know it’s going to be knocked down as soon as I move out. I have no heating, no bed, the toilet doesn’t work, and one of the windows has been smashed in. I’m harrassed by people around here - at the moment there’s crap all over my door which I can’t get off and which was thrown at the house by some of the lads who hang around the streets. My social worker has phoned up the housing association but it hasn’t made any difference.

A few years ago I was found in the cemetery - they said I was curled up in a ball -  and I was admitted to hospital for a week. Since then I’ve had regular anti-psychotic injections but I’m still troubled. I think people are in my house living with me and troubling me and I wish they would leave me alone. I see all sorts of things in the house - clowns, shadows, people messing about and it’s very frightening. Because of that I spend most of my time, including the nights, walking around outside. I find that looking at the sky calms me so I walk around looking at the sky.