Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

RTÉ

"I'm not a bad person" - Michaella McCollum's first interview to air tonight

“I’ve forgotten the things that everybody takes for granted in life.”

RTÉ WILL TONIGHT air the first interview with freed drug smuggler Michaella McCollum in which she says that she is “not a bad person”.

McCollum was jailed along with Scottish woman Melissa Reid after being arrested at Lima Airport in August 2013, having been found with a large quantity of cocaine in food packets inside their luggage.

Both received sentences of six and a half years, but Michaella was released on parole this week.

In the interview, to air on RTÉ One tonight at 9.30pm, the 23-year-old says that she had forgotten certain things while in prison.

“I’ve forgotten the things that everybody takes for granted in life.

“Seeing the sun, seeing the darkness, seeing the moon and the stars, things I haven’t seen in almost three years.”

She said that she understood the potential consequences of the drugs reaching Europe.

“If the drugs had of got back [to Europe] what could have happened, I probably would have had a lot of blood on my hands.

“I potentially could have filled Europe full of a lot of drugs.

“I could have potentially killed a lot of people, not directly but I could have caused a lot of harm to people.”

However, she maintains that she is a good person who made a decision in a “moment of madness”.

“I made a decision in a moment of madness….I’m not a bad person..I want to demonstrate that I’m a good person.”

Read: Michaella McCollum has been freed from prison in Peru

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Author
Paul Hosford
View 265 comments
Close
265 Comments
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
    JournalTv
    News in 60 seconds