Man in Indian jail in setback

The partner of one of the six British former soldiers jailed in India on weapons charges has said they will have to “start again from scratch” in a bid to be freed on appeal.

Yvonne MacHugh, whose fiance Billy Irving is one of the veterans sentenced to five years in prison in January after they were detained on board an anti-piracy ship in 2013, said a second bail hearing due to take place in Chennai yesterday had fallen through after the public prosecutor failed to show up.

The six men were on an anti-piracy mission, working as security guards on a US-owned ship, when they were arrested in October 2013 on illegal weapons charges.

They were working for maritime company AdvanFort providing anti-piracy protection

“We’re going to have to start again from scratch”

when their ship was detained and weapons were found.

In the following months the charges were dropped but the Indian authorities appealed the decision and the men were detained.

The men maintain their innocence, insisting the weapons were held legally while they were on an operation to protect shipping and are fighting to have their conviction overturned.

Ms MacHugh said the prosecutor’s no-show and an attempt to change the judge in the appeal case for the second time puts them back to square one.

She said: “We’re going to have to start again from scratch. You couldn’t make it up.”

The MPs representing ex-paratrooper Mr Irving, 35, from Connel, Argyll, and his colleagues met Asia minister Alok Sharma to discuss the case yesterday.