A WOMAN who is a regular visitor to jailed North Yorkshire arms dealer Peter Bleach has given a fascinating insight into his day-to-day life.

Lorna Evans, a British national living in Calcutta, is in York visiting her two sons and has spoken to the Evening Press about her monthly visits to see Bleach, an ex-pupil of St Peter's School, in York.

She heard about his situation through one of her sons living in York and about 18 months ago began visiting Bleach, who used to live in Fylingthorpe, near Whitby.

Bleach has been in prison in India for more than six years since being jailed for his part in an arms drop in West Bengal.

Mrs Evans said: "Living in Calcutta is generally very difficult. The climate is hell. There are three months of the year that are quite nice - December, January and February.

"It's very hard now because it's monsoon season. I know the prison yard at the jail will be flooded."

However, she said that the prison was in the richest area of the city, outside the centre, and so benefited from not being so polluted and noisy.

In fact, the prison is next to the local horticultural society headquarters and a five-star hotel.

Bleach and his lawyer are known for helping other prisoners with legal matters, and Mrs Evans has given Bleach a language book with which he teaches other prisoners to help them with the legal system.

When she visits Bleach, Mrs Evans says she has to go through a difficult procedure , with lengthy waiting and searches.

She said: "Peter will appear after about 20 minutes looking absolutely immaculate - pressed clothes and neatly-combed hair. He looks like he's going to attend a tea party.

"He is totally in control and doesn't let himself get depressed. He reads a lot. He also gets BBC radio, so he's up-to-date with the outside world."

Mrs Evans added that Bleach had his own personal cook and a cat "to kill the cockroaches".

"He's better off than the average prisoner," she said. "But it's still pretty dire."

Mrs Evans said Bleach was not confident of imminent release, despite a July 15 deadline for the Indian government to release him or explain why it is not doing so.

"He's not holding his breath," she said.

Updated: 11:43 Monday, July 02, 2001