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Black still lording it in jail with a butler and lectures on his life to inmates
Benedict Moore-Bridger, Evening Standard20.08.08
Conrad Black is lecturing fellow prisoners about his own life under the guise of a course on American history, it was revealed today.
His highly anticipated talks to inmates and guards have been labelled "narcissistic" rather than educational.
The peer and former Daily Telegraph publisher is five months into a six-and-a-half-year jail term at Florida's Coleman federal prison following his conviction for fraud and obstruction of justice.
His talks have been so eagerly awaited they have been moved from the library to a bigger venue within the prison to accommodate demand.
But sources inside the jail suggest his much-vaunted lectures are more an exercise in vanity.
One inmate-student said they "frequently devolve into a lesson in narcissism as Black spends most of the class spinning yarns about his career accomplishments".
He added: "The class he is teaching is basically his life, and what he has learned, life from his point of view. He talks of his experiences and how he got to where he is today."
The details come as he was pictured in an exercise yard with a fellow prisoner. Black, 63, appeared shabby and dressed in an ill-fitting shirt and grey jogging bottoms.
The former head of Hollinger International is thought to be acclimatising to life behind bars surprisingly well.
Dubbed "Lordy" by his fellow inmates, reports suggest he has organised his cellmate to act as his butler, gofer and cleaner. After initial jail work as a dishwasher, he has been "upgraded" to work in the library, where he has virtually unlimited access to newspapers and email.
In emails sent this month to columnist and historian Ruth Dudley Edwards, whom he knows through mutual friends, he describes prison as "better than I have expected", and "more of a sociological laboratory than I had foreseen".
A source said: "Conrad remains very snobbish, despite having the same daily routine as all the other prisoners. He said he was shocked by how uneducated most of his fellow inmates were.
"It was a surprising thing to say, given that many of his fellow prisoners are Hispanics and blacks from very poor communities who did not even graduate from senior school."
Black, who apparently shares a room with nine other inmates - including a cocaine smuggler, a Hurricane Katrina aid fraudster and a child pornographer - also spends his time listening to his fellow prisoners trying to convince him they have the next big project for him to invest in.
After an appeal in June was unanimously rejected by judges, Black is likely to serve at least 85 per cent of his sentence, making him past 70 by the time he is released.
Meanwhile, life for his wife, Barbara Amiel, has been more difficult to bear. Shunned by other wealthy families in the area of Palm Beach where she lives, the 67-year-old is rarely seen outside her home. She spends her time making prison visits and venting her fury on both the American criminal justice system and former colleagues, who she says abandoned her and her husband in their hour of need. Lady Black is also thought to be concerned about her husband's ongoing legal costs, which are estimated at up to £35million.
Reader views (4)
Since CB is in for another five years unless Bush pardons him before leaving office, he should spend the time writing another one of his excellent biographies on US Presidents. CB could follow up his FDR and Nixon bios with one on President Johnson,another misunderstood icon.
- Ota, Toronto, Canada
I am pleased to see that Lord Black is making the best of his prison sentence. He will be a much better person for having witnessed and actually experienced how so many others have to live.
After all, Lord Black once lived in Toronto so Prison in Florida cannot be all that bad.
- Ram, Canada
Precisely what was Black imprisoned for? What every businessman in the Western hemisphere gets up to. This was a socialist stitch-up job IMHO.
I'm not surprised his wife is concerned with the £35m legal bill. These rogues are ripping them off for failing to achieve a decent outcome. Imagine paying £35m for a slap in the face!
- Johnny Boy, London
Where's the full photo, with the rolled trouser leg? We knew Conrad was "baa-aad" (and smart, being from my own alma mater) from the get-go, and masquerading as a Crip is proof.
It might be worth taking note that he is making the best of a bad situation and not weeping into his gruel. A very resilient chap, whatever his other shortcomings. I hope they have the petty cash under lock and key.
- Bruce Conway, Victoria, BC, Canada
