Prisoner wins poetry contest by saying sorry

A REMORSEFUL prisoner has won a poetry competition by writing about his regret at having to spend Christmas away from his family.

In the verse, the former drug abuser pledges to give his loved ones the present of changing his life around.

The winning poem was selected from a variety of works by inmates who entered the contest run by the Northern Ireland prisoner ombudsman Pauline McCabe. She said the aim of the initiative was to engage prisoners in a constructive and meaningful activity.

The poem ended with the lines: My present to you is I've changed my life/Happy Christmas my parents, my children, my wife.

The ombudsman - who also invited prisoners to design her official Christmas card, which was issued with a booklet of the poems - added: "We were delighted with the quantity and quality and we thank all those prisoners who took part and the staff who helped them to achieve these outstanding results."