Heroin Love Story Drugsland

This programme contains very strong language

and some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.

Hello, mate. Yeah, it's Rich. Two Bs and a Y. Yeah, where are you?

All right, mate, I'll be there in about ten minutes.

I'll ring you when I'm there. All right, nice one, mate. Bye.

Right, we need to find the can.

Oh, Rich?

It's quite open, here, innit?

Why don't you just do it up on that hill?

River side, I'll have to go in the river side bushes...

No, it's not, I'm not going all that way, I'm doing it here.

-No, you can't.

-Yeah, we are.

People won't care. It's going to take us two minutes, Rich.

Stupid, you are.

Look, in this way...

Come on! You're the one who wanted to go here.

Rich? Can you get them...?

-Just, come.

-I can't!

Oh, my God, you're pathetic.

Come on.

Did pick the most awkward place.

-There's prickly things.

-D'you know what I mean? I told you it was

-stupid, you've got water?

-Yeah.

-How's it stupid...?

-Just get everything out.

When you do crack, you always do this.

I'm impatient, and that, do you know what I mean?

-I'm not...

-You are, babe, you are impatient,

I'm not gonna lie, so what?

No-one's perfect, darling.

That's a bad habit.

It's an expensive habit.

I spend like £200-£300 a day, easily.

I'm living on the streets,

pretty much every bit of money I get goes on gear.

I know it's wrong, and I know it's bad, but I do enjoy it.

A lot of things need to change

in the way that we treat drugs in this city, in this country.

I've got soldiers, I've got lawyers, I've got doctors,

I've got a huge amount of young professionals.

-Police!

-No, no!

Open your mouth.

Don't swallow the drugs. Spit them out.

I want to just get out of this so we don't get caught in here.

I just want to get ready.

All right, all right, all right.

SIRENS BLARE

Put it in the next slot up, my love, like there, where you are now.

And then put the money in the top right, the coins, or notes, yeah,

or cards in there, my darling.

Thank you.

Oh, thank you, very much, sir, thank you.

Someone might say, what did you do last Friday? I could tell you what I

did last Friday because I did the same as I did today.

Every day is the same so, basically,

go begging or sometimes shoplifting, or whatever,

to go and get some money.

Sometimes you have to put them through a few times.

Oh, right. Thanks.

By about half 11 or whatever,

we've usually got enough money to go and score.

Get back about half 12.

'Doors closing.'

And all day for the rest of the day, then, is literally making money,

going to score.

Doing the drugs.

Making money, going to score, do the drugs.

In Bristol, we've got this team, called, like, Streetwise, and,

basically it's the council and the police working together to combat

begging and rough sleeping in Bristol.

They've put a ASBO injunction thing, on me, so, basically, saying,

I'm not allowed to beg in Bristol, I'm not allowed in certain areas.

But, I still go there anyway.

He told us he was on nearly... nearly a grand a week he'd...

That's what he told us!

-Oh, thank you very much, miss. Thank you.

-It's all right.

Cheers, have a good evening.

You get people that - that will give you a £10 note,

right in front of you. If he's getting, sort of...

that sort of money, regular, it soon tots up.

The team's made up of a bloke from

the council called Richard and a copper called Mark.

Our job isn't specifically to target people for drug possession.

Obviously, if I find it on them, I would deal with it,

but Streetwise was set up to stop anti-social behaviour,

and a lot of that is focused around the begging.

It is an offence, and we know that the money from begging is,

nine times out of ten, used to fund an addiction of some sort.

Usually, you'll get one sat there.

And they're not, so they're up the road.

You've got the Hippodrome down the road, you got the O2 Academy,

place next door, and that generates the most public, so these are

the entrances that everybody comes in to collect their cars.

Oh, thank you, my darling.

Cheers, thank you, have a good evening.

There's another pay station just through that door, there.

That's another favourite spot,

or they would be up on level eight...

so, depending which one they're on,

it'll be how many flights of stairs we've got to walk up.

Richard. He is the carrot of the carrot and stick, if you like.

He's the fluffy side, and then I'm the stick side.

Somebody's here.

'Doors closing.'

If any arresting needs to be done, that falls down to me.

But, we go down the route of support,

and offering them support before we start to use enforcement.

'Doors opening.'

It's shit, I got about three quid.

We wanna get them onto their prescriptions,

because until we take away the need to make the money,

to fund the drug habit by way of that script, the prescription,

we are not going to get them out of the car park.

-Ah, no way. Have you come to arrest me?

-What for?

HE MUMBLES

-You all right?

-We do need to speak to you and Jolene.

-To me and Jolene?

-Yeah. It would be easier to just do it all together.

-Not, not going to arrest us.

-Why?

-So it's not your bag out on level one then?

-Eh?

Not your bag down on level one then?

-Eh?

-With the sign?

-That's mine.

That's yours, is it? Right.

Rich, are you getting a script?

To be honest, I've not started the process yet.

-You've not started it yet?

-I need to.

I understood you are saying you weren't -

-didn't want to do the script?

-I didn't say I didn't want to do

the script. The reason I haven't is, cos it's just...

it's just crap life so that's why I haven't, but I know that I need to

and I do want to get on one, really.

All you care about is getting money and getting better...

And not going to appointments, so, if I make them for the afternoon,

that's where I think I go wrong,

cos they always seem to make them early in the morning.

So why don't you at least go and register, this week?

-I will, yeah.

-So, you don't have to be doing this.

And then, get an appointment with the doctor.

You need to go in and see them.

It's an hour-long assessment, isn't it?

Yep. They'll do the assessment, and then they'll script you from there,

-depending on the assessment.

-Yeah.

Right, so we can't leave you here.

-No.

-And you are in breach, so we are going to kick you out.

Yeah, I will sign up to the doctors, all right? All right, see you.

We want to get them on to their prescriptions ideally at the same

time. That way, they can sort of support each other,

become a bit less chaotic, and try and get clean together.

-How much have you got, about £7, innit?

-£7.10, I think.

It's dead, as well, look how dead it is.

That's what I'm saying.

I'll see you in a bit, all right?

Mwah, love you, good luck, give me a kiss then?

-Just cheer up, it'll be all right.

-No, it's not going to be, is it?

-I love you.

-Well just pretend it is, then. Just, smile.

I'm cautiously optimistic.

-I'm too cynical.

-I don't know why.

The trouble is, they are making so much money here, even on a script,

they're going to miss the money.

Whether or not they come back begging, remains to be seen, basically.

But if she does, we just keep putting the breaches in and then

we'll take her to court on the warrant.

-Shall we go and get a brew?

-I think that's a good idea.

Hiya. Oh, thank you. Cheers.

Have a good evening. Thank you.

When I was younger, about 13,

some older bloke gave me heroin for the first time.

It makes you feel just nice, you know?

Just dreamy.

I know it's wrong and I know it's bad and I know it's shit and you

shouldn't do it, but I do enjoy it.

That's the problem.

Morning!

Time to move on. All right?

-Jo? Oi.

-Mmm...

-Get up, innit?

Come on, sweetheart.

Yo, it's Rich.

Yeah, can I come and see you for two Bs and a Y?

Yeah, go on.

Yeah, what you mean, Kensington Park?

All right, then. Cool. On my way, man.

Right, bless, man.

Give me that money, Jo. Give me that money.

Yes, Richard. I'll give you the F-word money!

-I'll be as quick as I can, all right?

-Yeah. It'd be better if you could run.

I think the misconception is that homeless people and heroin addicts

like, just swan around being off their nut all the time.

They don't understand that you actually need it to keep well.

Come on! Because if you don't take it, obviously, then, you know,

start to rattle like, the stomach aches, sneezing, everything hurts.

You feel sick, you've got no energy, you know,

you literally do it to be well.

Sweetheart.

Do you want me to do it? No, don't do it on the nice T-shirt, baby.

I'll give you something else. And please don't drop it.

Hi, Becky. It's Richard Hawkridge from the council, Streetwise.

I'm calling with regard to two people who we've been trying to

support get onto a methadone script.

-Right.

-A chap called Richard.

-Right.

-He was meant to be coming in early this week in order to get an

appointment with the doctor.

I just wanted to see if he had been in to do that.

-Sure, bear with me a moment.

-Cheers.

There isn't any record of it on there.

Where's my cardi?

I know you're tired as well, darling,

but I'll take over from you as soon as I get back.

Yeah? Do you know what I mean?

We will have a good bit of money then, innit?

-Good luck, baby.

-OK, baby. I love you so much.

-See ya.

Three years ago, before I come to Bristol, I had two jobs.

My son living with me.

I had a three-bedroom house.

Oh!

The only thing was my ex was violent.

He was very controlling.

He was getting worse and worse

and he ended up stabbing my friend up really, really badly.

Ha!

If you've got so many problems in your life that you don't know how

to start dealing with them,

you just want someone to come along and wave a magic wand and it all to

be sorted out for you,

that is what heroin was, you know, it was my magic wand.

'Please mind the door.

'Doors closing.'

So when was the last time you used?

-About an hour ago.

-'Going up.'

Over the last four weeks, used every day?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-'Doors opening.'

And what sort of quantities have you been using?

I mean like £300 a day, like loads.

Is that just on gear or is that crack as well?

About 200 on gear and 100 on crack.

The minimum amount is about £200 every day.

It's stupid.

When I had my son, I was clean and all that.

So, yeah, I didn't smoke when I was pregnant.

He is with my mum.

OK. So how often do you see him?

Not at the moment. Because I'm using.

But as soon as I've got my script, I'll see.

-Sure.

-I miss him so much.

Have you ever been in the domestically violent relationship?

Yeah, that's what I got moved here for.

And have you ever experienced other than that,

physical or emotional abuse at any time in your life?

Yeah.

When the domestic violence thing happened,

I ended up getting moved to a refuge.

My son stayed with my mum, he didn't want to come,

because he was obviously at school.

So basically I was plucked from everything that was keeping me stable.

My job, my house, it was all of a sudden, it was all taken away from me.

So at the moment there is a housing problem.

Yeah. As in there is no house.

OK, so you're currently sleeping in a car park.

Have you got any movement on sort of any housing?

No, as soon as we're both on scripts, we'll start looking for private rent.

Because I have always had my own house.

-I don't want to go into like a hostel or...

-Sure, yeah.

I just, yeah. Especially if we're trying to get clean.

Even if it is just a room in a private rented house to start off

with and build ourselves up so...

You are looking to go on Subutex with morphine?

-Yeah.

-When do you think you would go into withdrawal today?

-Because what we normally do is we will give you two...

-Two hours.

Two 2mg tablets, 4mg,

to take away and use when you're in withdrawal.

-Yeah.

-And that's the starting dose.

Getting that into your system.

And then you can have that and then go to the pharmacy tomorrow and get

-your 16.

-Yeah, cool.

-Does that seem...?

Yeah. Nice to meet you.

I'll see you soon. Take care. Bye-bye.

Are we going now?

I-I...

-Come here!

-I know.

This why I don't pack anything up.

Right, let's go.

It's not him. No.

Yeah, that's Rich.

-That's him!

-He knows damn well he shouldn't be in there.

If he's kipping up there, that's just taking the piss.

Yeah.

It wouldn't have been so bad if he had have found somewhere else to

kip, but he's not even bothered, has he, so...?

And he knows that they'll...

have him at the night shelter, though, while they assess them.

-But of course they are not going to want to...

-They are not going to get

in together. It will be separate, won't it?

-How much money have you got?

-We need to get 11 quid.

-We need to get 11 quid.

-You should sit down here a minute.

It is dead down here, Jo. There are no cars here.

Yeah, but people will come through, though.

They just don't come through to come here.

The council housing team have had a referral for these two.

But because they have arrived from out of town,

they have no local connection.

So there will be no offer of a flat or a house.

I have made some enquiries and she is fleeing domestic violence.

She has got no intentions of going back.

You know, to be honest, I can't blame her.

She may well have been, at some point,

removed by the police and put in a safe house.

But it just didn't work out for her.

We don't know what the images are from today.

We won't get that until tomorrow.

-Mike, have you been in Trenchard lately?

-I have been there today.

He was in there today? What a muppet!

I'll go and find Rich in the morning,

tell him that if he turns up at the station, you can arrest him,

take him straight to court.

-All right.

-Saves him from being in custody over the weekend.

OK. What time do you off, five?

No, half past four she wants to get away.

If I'm quick, I could get the quarter past four bus.

She's on the wine tasting tonight.

So she is on a runner.

You come into Bridewell at ten.

I thought it was the Magistrates' Court.

You have to be arrested first.

If you don't come in at ten,

we just end up chasing you around and then you can come in whenever

-and it'll be an overnight job.

-Yeah.

Yeah.

-I say it because I have to.

-Yeah.

Yeah, I do appreciate the way you have done it.

Bridewell, ten o'clock.

Yeah? Is that doable?

-Yeah, 100%.

-Sound. All right.

-See you at ten.

-See you later.

I just don't know, I just don't trust him.

I don't know. I've just got a bad feeling, man.

Probably just being paranoid, probably.

-Yeah, OK. Right, see you later.

-All right, see you in a bit.

I'll walk down there.

I was a good kid, really.

I like, always did everything to help out my mum.

Do you know what I mean, I was a good kid.

I did good at school because I was all in top sets and all that.

Where it went wrong was, one of my neighbours was getting a bit bullied

at school, quite bad, beaten up and that.

So one day in the changing rooms,

I stuck up for him and I started getting bullied.

-Arranged to meet there at ten.

-Take a seat.

OK, thank you.

There's like 20 kids chasing me, kicking my head in.

I had like big footprints on my face and this was going on like everyday.

It got really bad, to the point

where I tried to kill myself and that. I was only like 13.

I took loads and loads of tablets.

Turned out that they weren't what I thought they were,

they were like some special vitamin things.

So they didn't actually do fuck all.

And I just woke up the next morning, still alive.

I was like, "For fuck's sake, I'm still alive!"

-Morning.

-All right.

-All right,

there was a warrant issued on the 26th of August.

For alleged breaches of injunction.

So I am arresting you on that at 10:25.

You don't have to say anything but it may harm your defence

if you don't mention when questioned something which you later rely on

in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.

We will stick you in that van for five minutes.

It's like baby steps to try and push him towards accepting the help that

is on offer. And then a lot comes down to the individual on how badly

they want to kick the habit and how badly they want to progress on with

-their life.

-You don't want to be doing this when you're 30, 40 years

old, because were finding a lot of people now and they're doing it at

that sort of age and they are having health problems,

whether it is the leg cut off, or they're dying.

-Sad, innit? Horrible stuff.

-It is horrible.

And in normal life, don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing your...

-No, no.

-..but you will have a decent chance.

Because you come across well.

When I get sorted out and on a script, I want to help,

like, other people to get off it and that, sort out it.

Yeah, especially like young people.

Because this is such a waste of life, man.

Well done. You're all booked in.

-Thanks.

-Cheers, bud.

He's on conditional bail until the 16th of September.

12 o'clock, here. Right.

So if he is caught begging within this period,

we will have him straight back in on a warrant.

So he's got to behave himself while he's on this bail, basically.

-Cool.

-Time for a cup of tea.

They said that if we're coming back to this car park at all,

they are going to send me to jail, yeah.

But I think it's steps like getting on the script and that.

Yeah, of course it is.

That is going to change everything for the future, innit?

Exactly. It's a bit shit we started at different times, really.

I wanted to do it for ages, but I just need to actually do it now.

Really it's the good thing about the police hassling us, really,

because it's making us do it.

In five years' time I want to be in a house,

have a car, have a good job.

Maybe have kids. Maybe get married and that sort of thing.

That is what we want to do, isn't it? Just to be normal and sort it all out.

I want to go on holiday,

it's the first thing we will do when we get clean, probably.

I said I want us to go to rehab.

Because it is going to be hard, even on the scripts, isn't it?

-It is going to be hard.

-Yeah, but I think, at the end of the day, you

are always going to be around it.

If you really want to do it, you will stick to it.

Obviously that's the one thing we've got is we have got each other,

do you know what I mean, to support each other and that.

We've been together for like nearly three years now.

I was seven months clean.

I was going to drug groups and that and I was having a really bad day.

And so there was a guy who was in my drug group and I knew he was still

using drugs and I said to him, "Can you get me some?"

Took me to this girl and she sold me some heroin and that and it was Jo.

She's always said to me since, like,

she feels guilty because if she had known that,

she wouldn't have sold it to me.

I said to her, listen, it's not your fault.

I'm a big boy. I chose to do it, do you know what I mean?

I love him so, so much.

I never believed in marriage before I met Rich.

I think we are meant to be together,

so that is one good thing that's come out of it.

That's the most recent. 9th of September, 20 past 10 at night.

There she is there. The 10th of September, 20 past 7.

10th of September, 20 past 10.

11th of September, 20 past 5.

13th...

-And then yesterday, the 14th.

-Yesterday evening.

-Now she is obviously just taking the piss...

-Yeah.

..and making a fortune out of the public. Even if she is on a script,

she is still going up the car park and she is still flat out begging.

-I think her time's up.

-Yep.

It might seem a bit unfair to be arresting Jolene.

She's now on a script.

Although, what really concerns us now is Richard's not on one.

For him to still be using drugs in front of Jolene,

she's going to find that extremely hard.

And we've got to think, well, is it time to split them,

give her a chance to get properly clean in prison?

Give her that opportunity to have a clean break?

Good morning, all.

You know what we are here for, I presume, by now.

All right.

-It is ten past eight.

-What...?

-You don't have to say anything

but it may harm your defence if you don't mention, when questioned,

something which you later rely on court.

-Anything you do say...

-God's sake, why?

-Because of your breaches.

To the point where I actually sorted out my scripts,

sorted out the housing thing, sorted out all that.

Fair enough, you might have got your scripts,

but you've been in here every single day since, which is till breach

of your injunction.

As soon as my scripts are here then, I won't, will I?

But you said that last time. You're on it. You have been on it

for a week now and you are back in here all the time.

A week? Only started my script properly on Friday...

And it is Friday the ninth you got it.

Come on, then.

You're going straight to court anyway.

Are you still coming down? 12 o'clock for you, isn't it?

Yeah.

SHE MUTTERS

Is there any medication that you need to take with you?

No.

This bag, are you taking this bag with you?

-Yeah.

-Have you got your book?

-Yeah.

-Good.

-OK, I'm just going to go over the top, OK?

-Yeah.

And then what are we to do is just go through the middle,

-make sure there is nothing there.

-Yeah.

-All right?

OK. That is fine.

I'm just checking...

INDISTINCT

-All right?

-Yes. Bye.

-I will see you soon.

-Yeah.

VOICEOVER: They are a very close couple,

which is quite rare to see in the street community.

But we quite often see a couple, one will disappear inside,

and then the partner is off with somebody else while they are away.

Richard is due in court today as well, just before Jo.

If they're a couple, the judge might bang them both up.

So maybe a bit of time away from each other might help.

-It might do.

-It breaks up that routine that they've got at the

-moment, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

When I was in court, the solicitor for the council is some bloke

who sounds like he's been kicked in the bollocks.

He's got the most annoying voice.

Not only had I breached,

but they had CCTV footage of me cooking up a bag and banging up in

the stairwell. So they weren't very happy about that.

He got a 28-day sentence, suspended...

..for six months, on the basis that he goes to that appointment at BDP

on the 23rd of September.

So he decided to give me one last final, final, final chance.

And then as I was leaving, I heard

they were going to be bringing Jo in.

She's in prison.

She was kind of like, "Oh, you know, if you send me to prison,

"then I don't care.

"That's fine. But it's just going to set me back.

"What's the point?" I hope Rich sees his script through and that I can

get the drugs team to sort her out.

She said, "Oh, my God, I can't believe I'm going to jail

"and you're not."

So I gave her a little wave, like a little sarcastic wave.

Like, "Bye."

She was, like, flicking the Vs and mouthing fuck off towards Rich.

I don't know what that was all about.

To my beautiful wifey, Jo.

I'm so, so sorry I upset you in court.

I didn't think about how cunty it was to wave to you like that.

Looking back, I know it seemed like I didn't care

that you were getting sent down.

I hate the way things are left between us.

I feel so bad, babe.

Honestly, I'm so sorry.

Please forgive me.

You're my baby girl and you always will be.

I'm so scared that you are going to start thinking

you're better off without me.

I know I'm a cunt sometimes and I'm moody and I give the impression

I don't care about you, but I really do.

All I want is for me and you to get clean and have a normal life.

You make me so happy, even when we are homeless and smackheads,

so think how happy we can be when we're sorted.

And I get my script on Friday. I'm sticking to it.

We can both be clean when you get out and life will be so much better.

So, do you know what meds you are wanting to go onto?

Yeah, methadone.

Methadone, yeah? So at the moment how much are you using?

-Loads.

-Loads?

Yeah, like... Probably, like, eight bags a day.

Eight bags a day, yeah.

And crack as well?

-Yeah.

-Yeah. And is that about the same?

No. Probably, like, double.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

-OK. How old were you when you first started using?

Crack, I was about 17.

And heroin, about 24.

Yeah, OK.

So, in terms of your mental health,

have you got any major concerns around that?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-I've got schizophrenia and that.

OK. Right.

-It's been like bad lately.

-Yeah.

Not sleeping at all, really, or anything.

And would you say it is worse at the moment than it has been?

-Yeah.

-OK. Yeah.

So what we do today is we'd start you on 30 mls.

-Yeah.

-OK. Do that for about five days.

-Yeah.

-So because you are currently homeless

and have nowhere safe to store the methadone,

we will probably look at seven day supervised.

-Yeah, yeah. That's fine. Cheers. Thank you.

-No worries.

-Thank you.

-All right. Take care.

-Bye.

They have to start you on 30 mls for five days.

That ain't going to do fuck all.

'Ground floor.'

I need you, babe.

I miss you so much.

I can't wait to see you.

Love you so, so much.

So now just keep it real, be still.

And just chill out. I hope it's not dragging like it is out here.

You are my life, Jolene.

I love you, my little egg.

Can't wait to hear from you.

Loads and loads of love, your stupid, sorry husband, Richard.

Sweet. Mwah!

Thanks very much, man. Cheers. Thank you.

He's got no reason to be begging, he's on his script.

And he obviously still is.

So he's just taking the mick out of this injunction.

I think he's got comfortable in the car park, hasn't he?

Yeah. Routine, comfy.

Make a lot of money in it, that's the problem.

He's just got this little bubble that he's in and he needs bursting.

VOICEOVER: He's not aware Jolene's out today.

He thinks she's out tomorrow.

-Shall I put this in the back of your car?

-Yeah.

Is that all right? It's a bit heavy.

Glad you've only got the one.

We've had people come out with five before.

Well...

VOICEOVER: She's being picked up from prison by a charitable

organisation. They're giving her a lift back into Bristol.

They're going to sort out with a few basics to get her back on her feet.

I don't have any proper shoes. Like these are,

like, literally got holes in and that.

I don't know whether you help with shoes.

A bit of clothes shopping, a bit of toiletries.

No doubt take her for a big breakfast.

CHATTER

VOICEOVER: For her safety, I'm not going to arrest Richard today.

I think at this stage, he can look after Jolene, being a lone female.

There's no doubt, you know,

she's got nowhere else to go at the moment.

If he's on his script, that should negate him having to use.

We've got the warrant.

If he relapses, we can go and execute that.

But we're going to give him that chance and see how they go.

-Richard?

-Yeah.

-Morning.

-Oh, you're not going to take me down, are you?

-No, not now.

No, we're not taking you anywhere today.

Manage to get much sleep last night, Richard?

Yeah. Proper ill with this fucking flu.

-It's doing my head in.

-Flu, is it?

Now is it flu, or is it just the

script isn't big enough at the minute?

I'm hoping my script goes up today. I won't have to use at all.

I've been using still because my script ain't helping.

Only, like, one or two bags, compared to the eight or

10 I was doing before. Hopefully, today, 10 mls, that will be enough.

-I won't have to use at all.

-Got some other news for you as well,

reference Jolene.

This organisation are picking her up in a car and then

bringing her into Bristol.

Because Eastwood's out in the middle of nowhere.

-Yeah.

-So she's detoxing while she was in then, was she?

I don't know if they took her off. I don't know.

I thought they put her on a small amount then

slowly brought her off it. I'm not sure, though.

We've kept it open for when she comes out,

but she's got to go at half past two. Make that

appointment, to say, "Right, I'm here now and I want to carry it on."

If she misses it, it's going to screw her right over.

Have you been able to speak to her much while she's been in there?

I sent her... She sent me some letters, I sent her some letters,

but cos I'm a fucking idiot,

I forgot to put my name and that on it,

so they sent her letters with stamps on it,

saying you're not allowed to send anonymous mail,

-so my letters haven't been getting to her.

-Right, then.

Get yourself together.

VOICEOVER: He knows, or he's going to know,

that we're going to be after him soon.

So unless they get a private rented place...

..which is going to be extremely difficult for him to do,

because a lot of private landlords now won't touch DSS clients at all,

they're going for the students, the easy option.

And housing's just drying up for people like those two.

Everybody deserves to be housed.

There's just no housing left for anybody.

You know, they can't even house people that have lived here all

their life, let alone people

that come in, expecting to get it all.

But I hope Jolene carries on and gets the help that she's already

been getting and continues with that.

Well, it's there for her. She should be stabilised now,

cos she's had two weeks up there on a script.

So we'll see what happens when Jolene rocks up today.

-Yeah.

-Be interesting to see where they kip tonight.

-Thank you, my darling.

-That's all right.

Do you do like lattes and cappuccinos, or just...?

Just teas or coffees.

I went to prison for walking through a car park.

Ridiculous.

This is stuff for you.

Oh, thank you, ladies.

It's put together by one of the churches that we work with.

Ah, thank you, guys, so much.

-Lawrence Weston. Do you know where that is?

-Yeah.

-It's not really central.

-No, but it's quite far, isn't it,

but it doesn't matter, because if we're going to stay clean...

When you're ready, I'll press call and then...

Thank you.

Hello, is that May?

Hi, May. My name's Jo.

I'm calling up about your spare room.

Maisonette above the shop in Lawrence Weston.

Not... Sorry, I'm afraid I can't make it tomorrow, I'm working.

-This weekend, then.

-Oh, it's the weekend.

How about Monday?

OK then, May. Thanks a lot.

Bye-bye. Bye. Bye.

Is that Richard?

Richard, it's Jolene.

I've just rang up to look at a room in Lawrence Weston.

I'm ringing up a few different places now to look at to try and get

accommodation. I've got my script.

I have got everything, you know.

I wondered, is there any chance that you could give me a lift,

because I don't know where it is?

You or Mark. On Monday at half past five.

Cool, and I think my mentors are

going to help me try and get a cheap

£10 phone later on today, so we'll have our own phone as well, OK?

All right.

Thanks, Richard. Bye.

Do you feel like you want change?

Yeah. Otherwise, I wouldn't have done all that today, would I?

If I've got somewhere to live, yeah, I'm not going to be out doing that,

because I'd rather stay in, read a book, do my nails.

You know, get a little bit of volunteering work.

See, that's banging.

-I think that's...

-Yeah, I thought that was really nice.

If I wasn't on the streets, I'd love them, but...

-You'd love them.

-Can you ask and see if she...?

Oh, they're not bad.

I need a belt, because I'm going to wear that as a dress.

I'm thinking of things like in multi function.

I like that one. Oh, thank you.

-Good stuff.

-Thank you.

The Tesco mobile phone shop is just there.

Don't park in the NCP.

It's so expensive.

Oh, my God!

And they're cunts in there. They chucked all of my stuff away.

INAUDIBLE

Thank you so, so, so much.

-Honestly.

-Yeah, it's got to come from you, hasn't it?

The mentor will just help you to think about where you want to go and

encourage you, support you. They're not going to do it for you.

But say I'm having a shit day, and then you say,

"Come on, Jo, you've done really well."

-That can do a lot of good, you know what I mean?

-Yeah.

INAUDIBLE

Evening.

All right?

Thanks for not writing to me.

And thanks for not sending me no money.

-I did. Oi, look!

-I got no money off you.

-I never had nothing.

-Don't start.

Look. I didn't write my name on the letters.

-I forgot.

-Anyway, monkey me, monkey me, monkey me.

Come here, then!

-I missed you so much.

-Oh, listen. They sent a...

Stamps... You smell all cheese and onion.

Saying I didn't...

-They sent me a thing saying I didn't write my name on the thing.

-Shut up.

-I love you.

-I missed you so much.

-I thought you weren't going to

-come back.

-Oh, I can't believe how cunty you was in court to me.

-I am sorry.

-Nasty as fuck.

Well, I did write you a really nice letter.

Oh, you'd rather have that, would you?

You can't film now, cos he's got a boner.

Guess who came here this morning to wake me up. Mark and that.

I thought they were taking me for a while.

I spent all day. I sorted out my benefits.

-I got paid today already.

-Yeah.

I sorted out us two places to go and visit.

Guess who's taking us? Richard from the council.

And sorting out the money to pay for it.

I spent all day from nine o'clock this morning till now.

-You look nice.

-I don't.

-I'm all sweaty.

-They brought me £100 worth of clothes.

-I've got a phone with £30 worth of credit on it. Everything.

-Well done.

INAUDIBLE

SHE SOBS

-Come here.

-Oh, God.

-Come here.

-What's wrong with me?

-You're just upset because you've had so much...

You've had so much bad stuff happen for years and you

ain't let none of it out.

SHE SOBS

I've told you before, you bottle everything up.

You should know from me, it made me go nuts.

-You know what I mean?

-I worry, though.

I'm so scared they're going to do something bad to me.

-I'm not going to let them.

-I'm scared, baby. I'm scared.

-Don't.

Everything's going to be fine.

For a start, we need to get out of here,

because I'm not coming in here any more.

-No.

-We're going to sort it right out.

-Yeah?

-Please don't let me down, please.

-I won't, darling. Promise you.

-Please.

-I promise you.

Look how shit everything's been, and we've still been fine together,

haven't we? Do you know what I mean?

We've always got each other and we've both got scripts.

We're going to get a house, yeah?

We're going to stop living in fucking car parks.

INDISTINCT

SHE SOBS

There's definitely two of them.

-Yeah.

-Which we don't recognise.

Not like these two. These are described.

But the fourth one, hasn't been described

-but we know who he is...

-We do.

-..and he's definitely with him.

Then you've got them coming out on level eight out of the lift.

That's just a member of the public, that is.

That member of the public must have been thinking,

I bet they don't have a car parked up here.

This one's interesting. You get them coming out of the lift along here.

You watch what he does. Look.

They're creeping around.

Definitely... Looking up and down.

Definitely looking for him, yeah.

This is a stairwell that he's kipping in and that's the other

side, so he's going to go check that one.

So they've come out of that stairwell.

They've come out of the lift.

So the one in the blue's obviously, check this one,

here he is, look, calling them back across. He's found him.

PHONE RINGS

-ON PHONE:

-Ambulance Services. Hello?

Hello.

-ON PHONE:

-My boyfriend was really seriously attacked by three guys.

He's now going in and out of consciousness.

He's like really, really pale and he like poos out loads of blood.

-Do you mean coughing or vomiting?

-Pooing, like from his bottom.

OK, and are you with him now?

I've just had to ask these people to use the phone because

we were mugged and assaulted and they took my mobile and everything.

Were weapons involved or mentioned?

No, they hit him with floor boards in a spot on his head,

like loads of times.

Is there any serious bleeding?

Not on the outside now, but I think on the inside.

OK, I'm organising help for you now.

Stay on the line and I'll tell you exactly what to do next.

Basically, if Jo hadn't called the ambulance for him...

-He would have bled out.

-He probably would have just...

He would have bled out there and then.

-Yeah.

-So, yeah, he was quite lucky that she did come back.

That will be one time that he'll be thankful that she was

breaching her injunction.

-Yeah. Definitely.

-But, yeah.

He'll have upset somebody. It'll be a drug debt and it will be,

"You owe us this, so we're giving you a kicking

"and we're having your phone as well."

And that'll be the mobile phone.

-Yeah, yeah.

-That's why you couldn't get hold of them for the appointment

she made to view the flat with you.

-Yeah.

-He obviously knows who they are, but he's not coughing.

-No.

-And he's not willing to pursue any complaint whatsoever so it's not

-going to go anywhere.

-No. He's going to make it a lot worse for himself,

isn't he? He's going to get a lot worse, I suppose.

Imagine taking your...? Going down there with your little one

and he's having the living crap kicked out of him.

-Yeah.

-So, it just re-emphasises why we can't have this drug taking in

car parks or begging.

And now he's in hospital, Jo's going to be on her own, isn't she?

She's on her own, basically, isn't she?

Not sure where she is. Last seen on the centre.

I don't think she even went for the script appointment.

Are you here tomorrow?

-Yeah.

-I've got a spare duvet at home.

-Oh, thanks.

-I'll bring it in tomorrow.

That would be brilliant. Thank you, my lovely.

Anything like that spare, that you have.

Or if you've got any food you don't want, anything.

Because I've got nothing now.

I'll get you the spare duvet.

I don't use it. It's just lying behind the sofa.

INDISTINCT

All right, I'll see you tomorrow. I'll bring it in.

Oh, thank you, sweetheart. Thank you so much. Take care.

-See you later.

-See you later.

-Thank you.

We've just learned that Richard has discharged himself from hospital

after his assault.

I think Jolene's got a part of it.

He doesn't like to leave her on her own.

And we've learned his back in the car park sleeping rough,

which isn't going to do him any good whatsoever.

The warrant at last has come through.

-OK.

-For both of them.

Some people might find it hard to understand, but, you know,

you give them that break of putting them away in prison for a few weeks,

they just need something to break that cycle.

So he's got a minimum two weeks he's going to be gone for.

Plus hopefully, he'll get a couple of weeks extra.

I would say he's definitely going to be better off in prison,

cos he'll be probably on the hospital wing,

still receiving that treatment that he needs.

She's already done a two-week sentence so she should be

looking at another. Let's hope we get a decent judge.

Yeah.

Well, I don't think prison's a good place for anyone,

but what else can we do?

It worries me, because when they're in prison,

what's going to be the accommodation plan?

I don't think there's going to be any, is there?

Unless they get fed up and they leave Bristol.

-Yeah.

-That's their only option they've got at the moment.

-Mm-hm.

HE COUGHS

Let's go and see if there is a van and then we'll go and find

Paul and we'll go and drag them in.

-VOICEOVER:

-Yeah, I was in a bad way and that.

I was proper stressed out and that.

I can't imagine life without her. It would be shit.

I was doing fine, but next day after she got out of jail,

I got put in hospital and that. When I came out,

I couldn't get to my script and back,

because I was still so fucked up.

After three days, if you miss it, three days in a row,

you lose your script, so that's what happened.

Every time I either start sorting it out or get motivated to sort it out,

something will happen that just, like, puts it all out of the window,

so just back to square one.

INAUDIBLE

VOICEOVER: I got Jolene on the script first and she was actually

using it and she said that she was staying clean.

But she admitted she was finding it very hard

when Richard was using in front of her.

Yeah, but whether they should split up, or not...

No, I don't think they should split up.

It's not for us to say, is it, really.

-It's not, no.

-It's up to them.

VOICEOVER: But if they're going to do this,

they've got to be doing it together,

not one start it and then another start a couple of weeks later.

Come on, then, Jo. We'll take you up first.

-Bye. I love you. See you in a bit.

-See you later.

VOICEOVER: They've both been off of it before, and Jolene was clean for

five years, and then she's got back on it.

He's been clean for a while and then he's back on.

So he said, you know, they know they can do it.

Yeah.

OK. Time of arrest?

18:30.

And place of arrest?

Level eight, Trenchard Street car park.

Third biggest earner in Europe, apparently.

HE LAUGHS

Judging by what I've paid to park in there, I can imagine.

-Yeah.

-Right, Jolene.

Are you working at the moment?

No. Don't laugh.

I had to ask.

Only don't touch my bag.

-It's got pins in it.

-We will have to look through it.

Yeah, but just be really...

I don't care if you look through it, but just be really careful.

-Yeah, it's got a few needles in it.

-Yeah, exactly.

-That's what I mean.

-Uncapped ones.

-Where? Is there?

-That one looks like it is.

-There's no orange top to that.

-Oh, no. That's a Biro.

-It doesn't have a...

-OK.

-But, yeah. Just be careful.

Okey dokey.

Do you have any illnesses or injuries?

Yeah, I've got an abscess on my arm there.

-Do you know what caused it?

-Probably injecting heroin and crack.

VOICEOVER: Her health has taken a drastic fall

since she arrived in Bristol.

She's going to be looking at open sores.

She's, what, early 30s?

Her skin's absolutely terrible and it's all through...

Through the drugs.

-How many needles was it?

-29 in all.

I can take my books in with me, can't I?

Yeah. The officer will have to flick through,

make sure there's nothing in it.

I'm still a little bit bad.

I've been in hospital recently and I had to have an operation and that,

to have some of my spleen taken out.

-So you had a ruptured spleen, lacerated kidney.

-Yeah.

-Is it all bruised?

-Yeah.

You can't really see nothing outside, just inside, I think.

Yeah.

INDISTINCT

-Didn't have no...

-Make sure you get the nurse to have a look at that

while you're here.

VOICEOVER: I think Richard has hit rock-bottom.

You can see he's drastically lost a lot of weight

and he's really sunken-faced.

The kicking that he's had in the car park, I think that's shaken him up.

You know, he's realised that he could've died that night.

Sometimes that is a kick up the arse that they need to actually start

moving forward again.

So where are you injecting?

I've just lost another bloody tissue down here.

I was in my... My groin.

-If you lift your foot for me.

-I was, like, bleeding loads,

cos they had to give me blood thinners in hospital.

Oh, right, OK.

VOICEOVER: The hope is that if we can get them a sentence

that's the same length,

they will be released together and they'll both hopefully be clean,

so one won't be using in front of the other.

See you later.

TAPPING

I hate to think about how much money I've spent on drugs.

I'm telling you now, I could easily have paid for a house outright,

easily. More like I could probably have bought two or three.

I mean, for fuck's sake, I could have spent that money on doing

something good.

SHOUT FROM ELSEWHERE

TAPPING

Shut up!

For a free poster with information about drugs and their effects on

society, call...

Or go to the address below and

follow the links for the Open University.

# Ooh sometimes

# It feels like fighting for

# Wasting away fighting for

# Ooh-ooh sometimes

# When it feels like fighting for

# Wasting away fighting for

# Should have been could have been, ain't

# So why bother with

# No time to tolerate the constants of horridness... #