Agoraphobia

As many will know, I suffer from this debilitating condition, caused by what happened in April 2016 and in the years afterwards.

The condition is misunderstood. Yes, there are people who will not set one foot out of their home but thankfully I have a workshop. However, for many months, I would not set one foot out of my back door.

But, in the main, the condition means that people feel uncomfortable about places which are unfamiliar. Sadly, the ignorant police just did not understand that and my constant arrests and bullying at the hands of the police has caused me irreparable harm.

When I was on remand, I stayed in my cell, even when asked to go out for some exercise. I did try it once but quickly asked to be returned to my cell; that was refused.

Like many with agoraphobia, I hate crowds and do all of my shopping on-line, only going out to collect my medication or seeing my friend and osteopath, Nick. I used to love going to supermarkets but not now.

No one in the family has any clue of the damage that they have done to me or they conveniently forget.

Many years ago, I used to go out with my daughter to Kingston’s big shopping centre and so that we could have lunch, always Carluccio’s. But that is a distant memory now and I have not seen my daughter since 2015; there is a massive hole in my heart as a result.