St Saviour Centenier Paulo Martins (50) spent 24 hours locked up in aid of CLIC Sargent (Jersey).
The Islander said he was inspired to take on the challenge to highlight the great work of the charity while also supporting his friend’s 11-year-old son, who is being treated for cancer for a second time.
The father-of-two and grandfather-of-one said that the experience was far worse than he ever expected, adding that it would definitely have an impact on his work as a Centenier in the future.
Speaking from inside his cell he said: ‘Within around ten minutes of being locked in here I started to sweat and the room started to spin. I was lying in a ball on the floor and everything was spinning.
‘Being in here is so much worse than I ever imagined. You lose everything, you have no privacy, you miss your family and the boredom is something else.’
Mr Martins said that the next time he received a call about someone awaiting charge in a cell, he would get down to the station much quicker than he had done previously.
‘I can’t imagine being in here for more than a day,’ he said.
CLIC Sargent (Jersey) offers both financial and emotional support to anyone living in the Island who is diagnosed with cancer or leukaemia before their 21st birthday.
Mr Martins added: ‘I lost my own father to cancer when he was 72 and while that was incredibly hard, he had lived a full life. But these young people haven’t.’
The charity’s chairman, Andrew Harvey, said: ‘I would just like to say that we are very grateful to Paulo for choosing to support CLIC Sargent (Jersey) and our work to support local young people with cancer.’
To donate, visit JustGiving and search for ‘Paulo’s 24 hours in police custody’.
