British Pensioner Released from Chilean Prison Due to Health Issues
An 80-year-old British pensioner, William ‘Billy Boy’ Eastment, has been released from a high-security prison in Chile after his health deteriorated significantly during his time in custody. Eastment, originally from Wales, had been held at Santiago 1 Penitentiary since May and was reportedly suffering from multiple serious medical conditions.
Eastment’s health issues were compounded by frequent bouts of pneumonia while in prison, which led to a worsening of his existing medical problems. His lawyer, Macarena Vial, highlighted the severity of his condition during a hearing at the Santiago Guarantee Court. She explained that Eastment suffers from chronic lung disease, a colostomy that poses a constant risk of infection, and a hernia near his colostomy, which requires regular use of special bags.
Vial emphasized the challenges Eastment faced in obtaining necessary medical supplies. “Obtaining colostomy bags has been quite complex,” she said. “The family had to transfer funds to the embassy, and from there they bought them and sent them to Santiago. It’s a very difficult coordination because you have to coordinate with the Gendarmerie in a prison that is overwhelmed.”
During his time in custody, Eastment lost more than three stone in weight, and his physical condition became so poor that he was no longer self-sufficient. The court ruled that he would be placed under house arrest in a shelter in western Santiago, arranged with support from Chile’s Public Criminal Defence Office. There, he will receive daily care and supervision, as well as access to his treatments and medications.
“Today, he is practically no longer self-sufficient; the risk of flight is minimal,” Vial stated. “He will be able to access his treatments, and they will provide him with the medications he needs. It was a big effort, but it turned out well.”
Eastment struggled with language barriers during his detention and relied on other inmates for communication. For the first six or eight months, he was housed with someone who spoke native English, forming a close friendship. However, after that, he became more isolated. His emotional state fluctuated throughout his time in prison, with periods of difficulty and moments of hope.
“He managed to build relationships within the prison. He’s someone who inspires compassion; many people have taken care of him,” Vial said. “Right now, he’s in the best condition I’ve seen him in since he was arrested, but it’s still a very fragile condition.”
In May last year, Chilean authorities allegedly discovered £200,000 worth of methamphetamine concealed in Eastment’s luggage. According to Sergio Paredes, head of the PDI anti-narcotics unit at Santiago airport, Eastment told officers he had been handed the suitcase by a stranger in Mexico shortly before boarding his flight.
“He alleged he had been deceived,” Paredes said after the arrest on May 26. “He claimed he had been promised a prize of £3.7 million for delivering the suitcase to its final destination – and was even carrying a rudimentary certificate referring to the prize.”
Eastment maintained that he was ensnared in an elaborate scam. He told prosecutors he believed he was corresponding with figures linked to the International Monetary Fund, before being instructed to travel abroad in relation to an alleged inheritance. His lawyer explained that in these emails, a person named Carolina, whose surname he does not remember, informed him that one of his relatives in New Zealand had died and that in order to access that person’s inheritance, he had to travel to Auckland, New Zealand, to sign certain documents at a public notary’s office.
