Billy Burton is Free!
Billy arrived back in the UK on Tuesday 3rd April. He was welcomed home into London Heathrow airport by friends, family and campaigners, relieved and delighted to see him home and safe.
Billy was emotional but delighted to be home and so grateful to all of the people who have supported him in securing his freedom.
19 years of imprisonment have taken a toll on Billy's health and he needs urgent medical attention to begin to bring him back to a good level of health and well being. He is suffering from the deterioration which is synonymous with the Thalidomide condition, including an accelerated loss of dexterity as the aging process progresses, in addition to this, sleeping on a thin roll of mattress in crowded conditions for 19 years with inadequate access to medical attention has meant that Billy’s body has suffered and he is in a lot of physical pain. Despite his health issues, Billy retains the smile that makes him Billy Burton.
Billy was offered the opportunity to sell his story to the media and declined to do so. He is not proud of what he did, he has spent the last 19 years dwelling on his mistake and has paid the ultimate price in so many ways. Billy gave an interview to the Wetherby News only, which was not for money and was as a thank you to Andrew Groves, the Wetherby News reporter who championed the campaign with the paper
and as a thank you to all of the readers that supported Billy, signing the petition and sending letters to call for his release.
I am posting this update as a campaigner but also as Billy's cousin and I can say to everyone who reads this and who helped that they made the correct decision. Billy is a man of huge integrity and humility, I am proud to tell the world that I am related to Billy and speaking to him this week and seeing his gratitude, only reinforces to me that he is a man who should be free, we need more people in this world like Billy who are brave, gentle and grateful for the precious gift of freedom. His offence was in 1992, a lifetime ago, a decision made in naivety it no longer defines Billy and belongs in the past.
Billy is already talking about how he might be able to help young people avoid the mistakes that he made and use his experiences for the positive.
Thank you again for visiting the website over the last 2 years, for writing, signing and caring.
Read more about Billy here