15 September, 2002

Plea for drugs trial Briton

Gilbey was found with 4kg of heroin in Bangkok.

The UK Government has been urged to intervene in the case of a Briton facing a possible death penalty in Thailand for smuggling drugs.

Julian Gilbey, 35, was arrested in possession of 4kg of pure heroin when he flew into Bangkok Airport in October.

His family, from Rothesay, in Scotland, have insisted that he was fooled by a gang who told him he was smuggling diamonds.

Alan Reid, Liberal Democrat MP for Argyll and Bute, said he has written to the Foreign Office asking officials to intervene.

Mr Reid voiced concern that a defence witness, John Care, had not been allowed to give evidence at the trial because he was unwilling to travel from Australia.

Mr Gilbey is due to appear in court on Thursday and faces the death penalty if found guilty. Mr Reid said: "I have written to the Foreign Office and to the Thai embassy on his behalf.

"There is a defence witness who has given evidence but is unwilling to to Thailand for the trial, so I have written to the Thai embassy asking if there is any way his evidence can be presented.

"I haven't seen all the evidence, but what his family have told me is that he thought he was smuggling diamonds and was surprised to find that it turned out to be drugs."

"I would hope that the court accepts that it wasn't deliberate drug smuggling and agrees to commute the sentence."

Mr Reid said other British citizens convicted of drug-smuggling in Thailand have been given long jail sentences rather than sentenced to death.

"The precedent appears to be that if he is found guilty the death penalty it is likely to be automatic, but the Foreign Office has assured me that if that does happen they will make strong representations that it should not be carried out," he said.