Product Description

"Hell's Prisoner" is the story of an innocent man's 11 years in Indonesia's most notorious prisons. Christopher Parnell was on holiday with his family in Bali when the unthinkable happened. His holiday complex was raided and police claimed to have uncovered 12.5kg of hashish. Parnell and a travelling companion were immediately arrested. His companion was later released and left Bali as soon as the charges against him were dropped. While Parnell awaited trial, his friend signed a statutory declaration to say that the drugs had belonged to him. He admitted he had been afraid to face Indonesian justice but believed the mix up would be rectified and Parnell released. Instead, Parnell was sentenced to the death penalty. That sentence was later reduced to 20 years and a fine of US$30,000. Over the next 11 years, Parnell was subjected to unthinkable sessions of torture. Left to starve and fight every day for his survival, Parnell became a man forced to eat everything from cockroaches to human flesh. Prepare yourself for a journey into a world where murder, torture and fights to the death are day-to-day occurrences - where the guards turn a blind eye to the lethal weapons prisoners carry.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #47354 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

The Daily Mail, Annabel Venning, April 18, 2003
Stories of excrement throwing, stabbings and corruption abound in this book. Which will remind many of the film "Midnight Express"

Lowestoft Journal, Bob Proctor, May 2003
From his failed escapes to his part in leading a prison riot. It is compelling stuff. Its an excellent read.

From the Inside Flap
Imagine you were on your way home to Australia with your wife and child after living in Asia for a number of years. Imagine stopping off in Bali... for a quick holiday. Imagine being woken in the early hours of the morning to find a roomful of police officers pointing their revolvers straight at you. Imagine being handcuffed and locked in a cell a long way from home. Imagine being sentenced to life imprisonment for something you did not do. Welcome to Christopher Parnell's nightmare. Prepare yourself for a journey into the Indonesian Prison system. A world where murder, torture and fights to the death are the norm. Where the guards turn a blind eye to the lethal wapons prisoners carry and use almost daily. Christopher Parnell, an Australian found guilty of drug trafficking, a crime he did not commit, finds himself catapulted into the maelstrom of madness and degradation that exists within an Asian Jail. Hells Prisoner is the powerful story of one man's battle to survive in some of the world's cruellest and most inhumane prisons. Surrounded by murderers and sadistic violent criminals. Christopher soon learns that life is as cheap as a single bowl of rice... or a cigarette. During his imprisonment, Parnell was subjected to unthinkable sessions of torture, both physical and psychological. Left to starve and fight every day for his survival, he became a man forced to eat everything from cockroaches to human flesh. This is an incredible tale of fatalism and bureaucracy, of corruption and the horrors of prison, but most of all it is a no holds barrred account of what the human spirit can endure.

Customer Reviews

A free spirit defies incarceration
The jacket and online reviews (at amazon.co.uk) I've read simply don't do justice to this author. The brutality and horror of Indonesian prisons comprises about 20% of the book, with the rest an entertaining and often hilarious testimony to bawdy Aussie humour, the author's unbreakable spirit, sense of fun, and ability to get one over on his captors.

Cherish the early chapter when, awaiting trial, he tries to act insane by competing with the other imbecile inmates, and later, when facing a beating from the guards, he scatters them by throwing his own excrement at them, to the hilarity of his fellow captives. Then there's his description of the "mass masturbation scene" among his deranged fellow-inmates, once again discribed hilariously.

If you like "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and any kind of bawdy male humour, you'll love this. In parts the funniest book I've read in years. Having marked out my favourite passages, I dip into it from time to time when I need a tonic. Every library should have a copy.

a little far fetched
Starts off OK, but turns into something of a Hollywood Movie, with Russel being the so called Hero of the prison, Complete Rubbish. The photos are also a little confusing, one photo which has been included was taken 11 days after he was stabbed, then one 6 weeks after he was stabbed, Correct me if I'm wrong but you couldnt grow that much hair in 6 months, let alone 6 weeks. Apart from that he goes on about the disgusting things he did to other prisoners out of sheer boredom, which doesnt do him any justice and makes him appear to have the mentality of a 10 year old. He doesnt really delcare his so called innocence either and doesnt even bother to appeal the sentence, which again makes no sense. Instead of focusing on the immature antics he got up to he could have given his fellow prisoners some credit and written about their suffering, instead of being so self absorbed in his own fairy tale.

I've read many books like this one and this is far by the worst, if you want a brilliant read, a book you can't put down and written by someone who tells it how it is and isnt trying to make himself look like Superman and isnt asking for sympathy, then read 'The Damage Done, by Warren Fellow' Brilliant! He was guilty and admits his wrong doing! Now thats a Hero.

An amazing life story
The last book I read from start to finish prior to Hell's Prisoner, was a biography on David Bowie in 1978. I found myself reading Hell's Prisoner in 2 days. I think Hell's Prisoner has been written so well, at times I actually pictured myself sitting next to Christopher Parnell as he was telling me his story personally. In parts this book had me laughing and in other parts had me crying. The things that happened to this man in Indonesian prisons would have been enough to send a lesser person insane. I'd like to congratulate Christopher VV Parnell for having the courage to relive and tell of the atrocities that happened to him in Indonesia. This book is a must read for all whom take their freedom for granted.