A PILOT who spent several months in an African prison accused of mass murder has spoken to school pupils about his experience.
David Simpson, 24, from Gillamoor, North Yorkshire, was jailed in the Central African Republic after he found 13 bodies with machete wounds.
Mr Simpson, who worked for a safari and hunting company in the African country, was jailed in March after he found the bodies while clearing dense forest.
He was cleared of all charges but had been told that he faced the death penalty, suffered three bouts of malaria and was caught up in a prison riot.
He returned to his North Yorkshire home but he headed to St John’s School and Sixth Form College, Bishop Auckland, to speak to pupils aged 14-17-years on October 5.
Jo Hopper, the school’s citizen co-ordinator, said: “The pupils packed out the hall for his talk.
“He spoke about his time in Africa and in jail and about the lack of human rights at present in the Central African Republic.
“The pupils had the time to ask him questions and they may follow up his visit with further work.”
The killings have since been linked to supporters of the Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony.