A Consuming Rage

Arrested in Paris in May 2009 for a crime in Italy he didn’t commit, “A Consuming Rage” tells of Chris Chesney’s experiences in various prisons over the ensuing five months. Firstly, Chris was locked up for a month in the high security Parisian gaol of La Santé. First built in 1700, its graffiti-covered walls and worn paving stones did not make for a joy-inducing location.  

Chris was then flown to Rome and incarcerated in Rebbibia Prison. A month later, Chris was set free – he could return to the UK immediately! But, as he left Rebbibia, he was re-arrested; his release due to a procedural cock-up by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, a new arrest warrant was issued and Chris was driven to a much older and darker prison, Regina Coeli.

Regina Coeli was the real deal. The most notorious prison in Rome, located in a building complex dating back to 1654, it exudes an atmosphere of brooding malevolence.

Finally, on his last visit to the Tribunale di Roma, he was told that all charges except two relatively minor ones had been withdrawn and, should Chris change his plea on these to guilty, he could “go home tomorrow”.  

Swallowing his pride, Chris most resentfully changed his plea and was back in the UK within 48 hours.