THE partner of a Scot jailed in India on firearms charges has made a fresh appeal for his release as rallies were held in Scotland and England over the case.
Yvonne MacHugh, from Glasgow, said Billy Irving, from Connel near Oban, who was arrested and jailed for firearms offences after his anti-piracy squad pulled into an Indian port with weapons on board, which it is claimed were fully certified and legal.
It is feared if the case goes through appeal if could be locked in the Indian court system for years.
As campaigners gathered in Carlisle to press for the release of the six former British soldiers jailed in India another rally was held in Oban.
As families gathered up and down the country to push for more to be done, Mr Irving's partner revealed the conditions he was living under in prison, sharing a cell with 26 other men.
They were providing anti-piracy protection when their ship - MV Seaman Guard Ohio, which had a crew of 35 - was detained and weapons were found.
Ms macHugh said told BBC Good Morning Scotland: "At this minute Billy is currently in prison along with the other six British.
"There’s no courts open until June 1 so there will be no appeal going ahead, and we’ve got the extremely difficult decision at the moment of whether to go for a prison transfer or whether to appeal the decision."
She said the transfer to the UK would mean admitting guilt, but would also mean an end to the length of time in prison.
She said: "Yes it would and that’s why it’s such a tough decision for us: to admit you’re guilty when your completely innocent and there’s so much evidence to prove you’re innocence and so little evidence to prove you’re guilty it’s an extremely hard decision to make.
"If we knew that his sentence was going to be five years then it wold be a lot easier to deal with but knowing the Indian judicial system and knowing what’s happened in the past it might not only be five years.
"It ould go fort an appeal and it could take years before that appeal is heard, which means all that time spent in India Billy’s not seeing his son, he’s not seeing his family and it is not going towards his prison sentence."
She said she is to appeal personally to Hugo Swire MP, adding: "I hope to hear that they are going to do more.
"It’s extremely hard not being able to speak to him. He's got a one-year-old son who he has seen once.
"The best hope is that the British Government appeal to the Indian Government and ask for these men to be released."
Ms MacHugh added: "They worked as an anti-piracy security officer so clearly they have to have weapons on board. All the weapons wer above board, they were all legal, they have all the documents to prove that and they have been submitted into court and yet the courts have still found them guilty which we can’t understand."
Mr Swire, the minister for Asia, was reported as saying ahead said ahead of the meeting with Ms MacHugh: "I recognise what an extremely difficult time this is for all those involved.
"Our staff in India are in regular contact with the men and are working to make sure their welfare is protected in prison."
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