Partner of jailed Scots soldier vows never to give up battle for freedom

The partner of a Scots soldier jailed in India vowed to “never give up” fighting for his release, as she delivered a petition to Downing Street asking the Government to intervene.

Billy Irving, from Connel, Argyll, and five ex-soldiers are being held in “horrendous” conditions, according to relatives.

They were sentenced to five years in prison on weapons charges after being detained while working as security guards on ships to combat the threat of pirates.

Indian authorities boarded their vessel and arrested them 0 Yvonne Machugh pledged to support Billy Irving’s case in 2013. After charges were quashed then reinstated, they were convicted in January and now face years in prison.

On Thursday, 1,000 days since the men were imprisoned, their families lobbied Parliament and handed over more than 372,000 signatures at Downing Street.

Mr Irving’s partner, Yvonne Machugh, 27, said: “I am going over to India on Sunday. I am just going to be so happy to let them all know what is happening and that they are not forgotten, we have been down to Parliament, we have been down to Downing Street and we are doing all we can, and we will make sure that the British government does all it can.”

Asked what she hoped the government would do, she added: “We will continue, we will hand this petition in as many times as it takes, until we bring our boys home.”