'Drug Smuggler' Briton Faces Life in Thai Jail

A British man has been jailed for life in Thailand for smuggling 4kg of heroin out of the country.

Julian Gilbey, 35, from the Isle of Bute, Argyllshire, avoided the death sentence because he admitted smuggling, but claimed that he thought he was carrying diamonds.

The former English language teacher was one of four people who appeared in court in Bangkok.

His family and supporters insisted he was duped into carrying the drugs.

Stephen Jakobi of the organisation Fair Trials Abroad said today there were serious concerns about the trial. He said Gilbey's offence was part of a set-up by a wide network in which a gang was busy duping people into carrying drugs. A man in Austria was acquitted of the same charge because the court accepted that he was duped by the gang.

Mr Jakobi said: "What concerns us is miscarriage of justice, and though people may be convicted of an offence, it may be the wrong offence.

"There is an appeal and what we are hoping is that the people look at evidence coming from Austria very carefully. They should do because it is of great concern when you get different results from the same facts in different countries."

Gilbey's MP said he was relieved that the death penalty had not been imposed, but expressed concerned about the validity of the conviction. Alan Reid, Liberal Democrat MP for Argyll and Bute, said the Bangkok court had found Gilbey guilty on the basis of a signed confession.

He told BBC Radio Scotland: "It has been written in Thai and presented to him. Under Thai law it should have been presented in English, but Julian insists it was never translated for him.

"There is also a defence witness who was put on trial for drug smuggling in Austria but was never convicted, who says he has evidence that proves Julian is innocent but for obvious reasons this witness is reluctant to travel to Thailand to appear.

"The decision is certainly good news in that normally the death penalty is mandatory in Thailand for drug smuggling."

He added that, under a longstanding agreement, Britons convicted in Thailand could be transferred back to the UK after serving one third of their sentence and hoped that Gilbey could be moved.

The convicted man's family insisted he had believed he was carrying diamonds and had been set up by a drugs gang. Karen Cameron said her brother's claim about the diamonds was never heard in court and said there would be an appeal.

"He's not had a fair trial and we need help with this," she told BBC Radio Scotland.

"My mother's 70 years old and wants to see her son again. He's not been treated right through all of this. Obviously, she's devastated."

Ian Acheson, executive director of the charity Prisoners Abroad, which supports more than 1,300 Britons incarcerated overseas, said: "Although Prisoners Abroad is relieved that Julian Gilbey was not sentenced to death, we are concerned that he will be expected to serve a life sentence in a prison notorious for its appalling conditions."