A SCOT held in a north African jail on a #1m drugs smuggling charge
has suffered a setback to his hopes of an early reunion with his fiancee
and grandfather.
After struggling to send bail of #5000, Miss Sarah Bradbury and
pensioner Mr Robert Bruce have been told court authorities have doubled
the amount required for Mr Kevin Bruce's release from the small Spanish
enclave of Melilla in Morocco.
''It was a big shock and at the moment our hopes have been dashed,''
said Miss Bradbury, of Kirkcaldy, Fife.
The 28-year-old hotel receptionist who hasn't seen Mr Bruce, 25, since
just before Christmas and has to make do with brief telephone
conversations, added: ''We were told his bail would be one million
pesetas -- approximately #5000 -- as that is the set amount.
''We managed to raise that and then we were told they had raised it to
two million pesetas. That's a lot of money and raising another #5000 is
impossible.''
However, she added there was some hope as the Spanish defence lawyer
she has retained is continually trying to persuade the court to reduce
the bail and is hopeful of success.
Mr Bruce, an unemployed barman who lives with his 75-year-old
grandfather at Oaktree Square, Kirkcaldy, was on his second trip to
Spain to settle the affairs of his father, Bob, a Majorcan fish dealer
who died suddenly of a brain haemorrhage at the age of 48.
He is being held with former Central Scotland policemen, William
Taylor, 34, of Falkirk, and Douglas Fleming, 32, of Glasgow. The three,
who were arrested as they tried to board a ferry for Malaga, are accused
of attempting to smuggle liquid hashish in the petrol tank of a van.
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