THE BROTHER (David Clarke from Fareham) of an Eastbourne man who died in a Filipino jail has written a book of their lives.
Michael Clarke died in May 2005 from tuberculosis – the year he was due to be released after serving ten years of a 16-year sentence for promoting child prostitution.
He had been running the Paradise Express travel business from an office in Cavendish Place, Eastbourne, and promoting holidays to the Philippines for Brits. But he was arrested in 1995 and sentenced.
Michael insisted he was innocent and had been wrongly convicted and turned to Christianity before being baptized in an oil drum in New Bilibid Prison.
David, Michaels younger brother has published a book called Converted on LSD Trip, which charts how the two siblings were both criminals and suffered from manic depression before turning from crime to Christianity. It was also discovered the david suffered from Dyslexia
David says he turned his life around after a bad trip on LSD in 1970 and hopes the book could be of help to magistrates, judges, police officers, those working with people with mental health as well as helping reform criminals.
Michael was baptized while imprisoned in the Philippines in 2000 and penned a tribute in his brother’s book before he died. In it he spoke of the months leading up to his arrest and incarceration.
He wrote, “As a tourist I first stayed in Angeles and Olongopo Cities and was amazed at the abundance of “Girlie” bars and nightlife. It was crystal clear that sex was on the menu at a very low price. On my return to England I formed my very own travel business, the aim of which was to offer low cost holidays to my fellow countrymen. I thought I was on to a winner, because there are no such things as “Girlie” bars in England.
“To cut the story short, within a few months my business was up and running and I returned to the Philippines to welcome my first influx of customers. On June 5 1995 I was arrested for promoting child prostitution and later sentenced to 14 to 16 years imprisonment.
“I have and always will protested my innocence. There were no child victims or child complainants; my reference to girls was only a general reference to girls as in Spice Girls, the pop group. I was not promoting children.
“After this, as you can imagine, I was very bitter and full of hate. Why, why, why have I been wrongly convicted, I would ask myself? I just could not understand why God would allow such a thing. Suicide was constantly on my mind.” Michael said he became born again in prison and gave him the “faith and the ability to repent from my former life”.
David can be contacted at nbpttc@yahoo. co.uk and it available to tell the story to any interested groups.
These brothers grew up in Aylesbury in the 60’s and were both criminals who were later diagnosed as suffering from Manic Depression.
Michael had been sentenced to a 16-year term in 1996 on a charge of promoting child prostitution. He had always denied that charge.
David Clarke’s new book is published on the day that his brother Michael was due to be released from New Bilibid Maximum Security prison in the Philippines.
He died in prison suffering from tuberculosis in May 2005, after serving only 10 years of his sentence. Before his death Michael became a Christian after reading C. S. Lewis’s book, “Mere Christianity”. He then was baptised in an old 45 gallon Oil drum, in that prison, on 16th September 2000.
David charts his own life and that of Michael after their life paths changed direction when David himself had a bad experience on LSD in January 1970. This story was told as news headlines in the Bucks Herald newspaper entitled, “CONVERTED ON LSD TRIP”, on 11th February 1971, after David pleaded guilty, at Aylesbury magistrate’s court, confessing to 24 crimes, after turning from crime to Christ.
David formed Abshott Publications in 2001, to publish various books that relate to his life’s work and he now believes that both he and Michael are victims of Manic Depression. They have both suffered from hypo- manic episodes. However their belief systems conditioned the way that
they reacted to their mood swings and may well account for some of their remarkable experiences that are recorded in this book.
In order to further their work David and Michael worked together to assist and help former criminals who had turned from crime to Christ by registering an Incorporation in the Philippines, under the name of Trojan Horse International (TULIP) Phil’s Inc. with the Securities Exchange (SEC) and with Companies House, in the UK, as an Overseas Branch number: FC025516.
This story could be of real help to Judges, Magistrates, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, doctors, social workers, solicitors, policemen, ministers of religion, Lecturers, teachers and probation officers. Also it could be helpful to Christians and those who suffer from manic depression or Dyslexia. It could also be a means of help to reform criminals and useful to those living in the margins of society, along with unruly youths, drug users, and hardened criminals. It could also be a help to any one contemplating, or going through divorce.