Gwynedd man home after nightmarish West Africa prison ordeal

North Wales Chronicle

25-05-2025

Paul Inch, from Blaenau Ffestiniog, and Richard Perham, survived inside Conakry Central Prison in Guinea - thought to be one of West Africa's most overcrowded and dangerous prisons.
Then, for 42 more days, they remained trapped in Guinea, unable to leave.
Now – 142 days after they first arrived in the country – they are finally flying home. They were due to land at London Heathrow at 10.30am today (Sunday, May 25).
Paul, 50, and Richard, 29 of Bristol, had travelled to Guinea to support the recovery of equipment from a high-altitude research balloon. It was meant to be a simple four-day job. But within days, they were arrested and accused of espionage, sedition, breaching national defence, and violating airspace by the authorities – charges that were entirely unfounded.
The men were imprisoned in Conakry Central Prison, a facility operating at 475 per cent of its capacity and notorious for inhumane conditions. Richard and Paul were locked into a swelteringly hot, overcrowded cell the size of a railway carriage, with individuals convicted of violent crimes. There was no space for personal belongings. The only toilet was a single latrine shared by the entire cell holding 80 inmates.
They were extorted, threatened with sexual and physical violence, and pushed to the brink. To avoid being transferred to a more violent section of the prison, they were forced to make regular extortion payments to prisoners and staff.
(Image: Office for Liz Saville Roberts MP) The prison was infested with rats, cockroaches, and mosquitoes. The water was so contaminated they had to disinfect their skin after washing. Both men suffered dehydration, gastrointestinal illness, and skin infections. Serious diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis, and dysentery, were confirmed to be circulating in the prison at the time.
There are no guards stationed inside the cell blocks. Security personnel remain at the outer gates. Inside, order is maintained by informal and often violent prisoner hierarchies.
Access to food, water, safety, and medical care depends on unstable, unofficial systems of control. The company informed Guinean authorities that Richard and Paul had no role in operating the balloon, no knowledge of its technical contents, and no involvement in its flight or descent. They had not been briefed, trained, or given documentation. Their assignment was purely logistical: retrieving equipment under the understanding that all permissions had been granted.
Richard and Paul had entered Guinea under contract to Aerostar International, tasked with conducting a civilian, peaceful, and lawful recovery operation. The Aerostar balloon N254TH had been diverted off course by unexpected winds and was intentionally brought down in Guinea by the company.
Aerostar believed that all necessary permits for the flight and landing had been secured, but it later emerged that neither had been properly authorised. After enduring months of court hearings and delays, the two men were finally freed on bail on April 11. But they remained stuck in Conakry, without their passports and unable to leave the country for another 42 days.
Speaking upon his arrival at Heathrow Airport today, Paul Inch said: "This is a nightmare we never imagined. In my work as a mountain bike guide, water safety officer, and as a volunteer with the Aberglaslyn Mountain Rescue, I understand the meaning of responsibility.
"'I was in Guinea, doing my job, trusting that everything was in order. Yet I was locked away for 100 days in unbearable conditions."
His detention also tore him away from his wife, their five children, and his three brothers. They were left to hold their families together throughout this traumatic ordeal.
Richard Perham said: "We had to literally fear for our lives each day. After we had been there for two months, the UK Ambassador walked us to the prison gate, believing we were finally being released.
"But a phone call to the prosecutor stopped it. We had to turn around and walk straight back in for another month. It was devastating.
"This was meant to be a simple 4-day job. Instead, it became 100 days trapped in a nightmare in which I missed the first steps and first words of my baby daughter, moments I can't get back.'
They both added: "We're incredibly grateful to everyone who stood by us. We would not be here today without the tireless support of our MPs, Liz Saville Roberts, and Carla Denyer, who stayed closely in touch with our families throughout.'
"We're also deeply thankful to the British Embassy – especially Ambassadors Daniel Shepherd and John Marshall, and Deputy Head of Mission Mark Kelly – for their unwavering commitment."
Liz Saville Roberts MP (Image: Office for Liz Saville Roberts MP) Liz Saville Roberts MP said: "I am delighted that Paul Inch and Richard Perham are at liberty at last after being held in Conkary Prison, Guniea under hideous conditions and then house arrest.
"This has been a nightmare for the two men and their families and friends who have been focussed, resourceful and determined to ensure that never a day went by without seeking their release.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank Foreign Office staff as well as the UK Ambassador and Embassy personnel in Guniea for their patient work in helping to secure this outcome, almost six months after the men were first seized."