PRISON CHILD – FELICIA GOOSEN, THE STORY OF VANESSA GOOSEN'S DAUGHTER
Most people will remember the story of the former Miss South Africa semi-finalist Vanessa Goosen who was incarcerated in Lard Yao women’s prison in Bangkok in 1994 for more than 16 years.
The young woman claimed to have been duped into carrying four engineering books, which were found to have compartments in the front and back hardcover and spine containing 1.7kg of heroin.
Aged 21 and pregnant, she was arrested and tried on drug trafficking charges. She was sentenced to death, but her sentence was commuted to life.
Through two appeals – one of which was rejected – and a process of amnesty from the king of Thailand, Goosen eventually was released on October 30, 2010.
A first book, Drug Muled: Sixteen Years in a Thai Prison, penned by Joanne Joseph with Larissa Focke, traced her years in prison and her brief period of motherhood before her daughter Felicia was taken away from her at the age of 3 and sent to South Africa.
Now comes the book Prison Child Felicia Goosen – The story of Vanessa's Goosen’s daughter.
In South Africa, Felicia, now aged 28, was raised by her mother’s best friend Melanie Holmes and her husband Hilton Homes.
Their daughter, Lerell (Lala), and her were the same age and her adoptive parents treated her like one of their own.
But when her adoptive mother died and Vanessa was released from prison, things went awry. Felicia’s own life went downwards, spiralling out of control – through acoholism and self-hating.
But with the help of friends and religion she picked herself up and this is her story, emotional yet uplifting as she charts her path to healing. It’s an easy read despite the difficulties Felicia describes, and in it readers will find many messages of hope.
