News Story
Five Fishermen. £53 million of cocaine. An ongoing fight for justice. A new play, touring seaside locations, brings this true-crime story to life. Find out about the story here, and Q&A with Artistic Director, Samuel Bossman.
Who are the Freshwater Five?
The Men and the Accusation
In 2010, a fishing boat off the coast of the Isle of Wight came to police attention. Suspected of using the boat to collect drugs from a container ship and depositing them in Freshwater Bay, the fishermen on board were arrested. In 2011, Jamie Green, Zoran Dresic, Daniel Payne and Scott Birtwistle were sentenced for conspiracy to import £53m worth of cocaine. Additionally, Jon Beere, a local business owner, was convicted for allegedly acting as a liaison between the fishermen and those on the container ship. Together, the men became known as the Freshwater Five and were collectively sentenced to 104 years in prison. They have always professed their innocence.
Freshwater Bay from the coastal path - By Linda Hartley
The Fight for Justice
In 2020, their case returned to the Court of Appeal. New evidence had been uncovered that the men hoped would clear their names. This prompted national media coverage and a podcast series from the Guardian in 2021. The Freshwater Five are represented by Emily Bolton, an English lawyer with extensive experience of New Orleans Death Row cases. Bolton works to shine a light on miscarriages of justice. Her experience working on the Freshwater case has led her to believe that the UK justice system is designed to make it nearly impossible to uncover evidence against unjust rulings. Unfortunately, despite compelling evidence, the 2020 appeal was lost. The men and their families continue to fight for freedom to this day.
After the 2020 appeal failed, Bolton stated “We have no doubt that law enforcement holds further evidence which supports the Freshwater Five’s innocence. Yet our opaque, unaccountable justice system continues to prevent the truth from coming to light.”
About the show
Inspired by the wildly popular Guardian Today in Focus podcast, The Freshwater Five incorporates storytelling, verbatim accounts, inventive stagecraft, poetry and song. The play presents a detailed theatrical investigation into the men’s tragic downfall.
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The play has been developed by the award-winning theatre company, Deadman. The company is dedicated to staging contemporary and captivating local narratives – for and from Britain’s unheard and underserved coastal communities. The South Coast-based cast and creatives delve into subjects of historical and modern smuggling, deteriorating coastal communities, immigration and folklore. The Freshwater Five is told by creatives from the Isle of Wight, who have worked alongside the men themselves and Bolton, to create a faithful, yet artistic, representation of their experiences.
Q&A with Samuel Bossman, Artistic Director of Deadman
How are you feeling about your upcoming performance in Worthing?
Really excited. One of the things that we wanted to do with the production is bring the show to audiences who might not get the benefit of new, powerful theatre. We think the show might have a lot to say to audiences in Worthing and particular issues that affect coastal communities.
What can people expect from The Freshwater Five, without giving too much away!
Strong language, poetic lyricism, incorporating the real-life tragedy of the five men, using the facts and details of the story to create a compelling picture of their lives and the place where they live.
This story is based on real, ongoing events. What mattered to you most when retelling this story and why?
We began by contacting a lot of the real-life figures and gaining their blessings. While also preserving our own creative freedom and storytelling independence. It was really important for us that we remained unbiased, despite our connection. Meaning we are presenting something that is objective and allows audiences to make their own minds up.
Tell us about the style of the piece.
Because of the deep research and development phase of the production (we began the show back in 2020/21, a tour last year and now this year) we have incorporated a lot of things that are part of the cultural/historical heritage of the Isle of Wight and other coastal places like Worthing, while excavating all the real-life details from the case as we can.
Deadman is an award-winning ensemble theatre company that focuses on stories from working/precarious class voices and underserved coastal communities. Tell us about how you find your stories, and why this focus is important to you.
Growing up and being from a place like the Isle of Wight, you can feel a little bit ignored. The power of storytelling is articulating and drawing attention to the stories that can connect and empower communities like Worthing and the Isle of Wight
What led you to working in theatre?
A series of creative experiences that must of kept me interested and inspired to try and bring that magic to other people. I set up Deadman specifically after becoming frustrated with the lack of new ideas and talent getting opportunities, and one particular show that encapsulated this and really hacked me off…! Won’t say the name.
What have you enjoyed most about sharing this story? Has anything surprised you?
How many people find parallels and connections in the story with their own lives. As well as the many differing opinions on the guilt/innocence of the men.
What do you hope audiences will take away from this story?
I want people walking away with a bit of a buzz, talking to other people about what they have experienced and a good evening out!
What’s next for you?
We have this amazing tour, coming to brilliant venues audiences like Worthing across the country, supported by House. After that, we were really lucky to begin work on our next show with a residency at MAST Mayflower in January around the story of Damien Nettles. Another show inspired by drugs and their effect on coastal communities. So we’ll get to work on that to hopefully return to Worthing before too long.
Anything to add?
Thank you. Hope everyone enjoys the show!
Real World Consequences
According to friends and family the Freshwater Five were all hard-working men, with no prior convictions or drug-related offences. Families of the men have spoken about their surprise and horror at finding their loved ones taken away by police. It is a sobering tale of how life can be upended at any moment.
Sue Beere, wife of Jon Beere, shared her account of how he was arrested one morning. Although he was eventually released, Jon missed 12 years of family life. Sue now works as a Survivor Advocate at APPEAL, a charity and law practice that fights miscarriages of justice. APPEAL was founded by the Freshwater Five’s lawyer Emily Bolton. Although Beere’s husband has been released, their journey of living with a wrongful conviction continues. Their story is one that highlights the difficulties of facing the British justice system.
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The Freshwater Five case is one of the largest drug-related cases in British history. This story has accrued national media attention and continues to be a twisting tale that is shockingly true.
Freshwater Five performed at The Pavilion Atrium in May 2024