Being locked away in a prison cell for nearly eight years can be terrifying for anyone. It is even worse for Ikoto Charles, an African national from Congo, who came to Jamaica to seek political asylum but was instead thrown into prison.

Charles, 28, wanted a better life when he left Africa by boat, but he never could imagine the treatment that he would receive. His experience is now almost driving him "insane".

After arriving from his long trip, Charles was arrested in Portland where he spent three months in jail before being sent to the Horizon Remand Centre in Kingston. He stayed there for five years, awaiting a deportation order. He was later transferred to the Half-Way Tree lock-up.

On Friday, he appeared before the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court. He was dressed in a grey merino and blue jeans shorts, with his hair unkempt.

Melrose Reid, the attorney representing Charles, said he had overstayed his time in Jamaica and was sentenced to three months' imprisonment. Reid added that a deportation order was made in 2005 and up to this day, Charles was still in Jamaica.

"Your Honour, I would love for my client to be deported or released and I would prefer if he was actually released then deported." Reid later said that her client was becoming senile as he had spent so many years locked away in a cell and he had no family in Jamaica to offer any support. "He is not a criminal, he just wants to go home."

Reid told the court that she became aware of Charles' situation when she was visiting another client in custody. She said she heard him speaking with an African accent saying, "What happen to me? Look how long mi in here." At this point in July 2007, Reid said she decided to represent Charles free of cost.

RM Brown was quite sympathetic. He told Reid he wanted to help Charles; however, the immigration laws require that he had some form of documentation showing his place of birth before he could be deported. Brown ordered that a psychiatric evaluation be done on Charles and the matter will be mentioned again on August 22.