Battle for jailed Thalidomide man

William "Billy" Burton, 47, and formerly of Wetherby in West Yorkshire, was arrested in 1992 at Manila Airport trying to smuggle 5.6kg of marijuana out of the country.

He was initially given an eight-year jail sentence but this was increased in 2003 to 40 years. The former Wetherby High School pupil is is not due to be released until 2032, when he will be 70.

So far he has been locked up in the maximum security New Bilibid

prison, near the capital Manila, for almost 18 years.

Now Harrogate Thalidomide victim Guy Tweedy, who successfully campaigned for compensation for Thalidomide victims, is leading a campaign to have Burton freed or have him serve his sentence in the UK.

Mr Tweedy said: "What Billy did was extremely foolhardy and we

certainly do not condone smuggling drugs. However, he has now been in this jail, which has an extremely high murder rate amongst its 17,000 inmates, for over 17 years, and no one is telling him when he's likely to be freed.

"Had this offence occurred in this country, he would have been freed after five years. Billy has shortened arms and twisted hands and his health, like that of many Thalidomiders, has deteriorated more rapidly than would have been the case had he not been disabled."

Dr Martin Johnson, director of the Thalidomide Trust, who has visited Burton, described his accommodation as something that "would not be tolerated in a British slum."

The room he occupies – on an upper level and accessible by a ladder – measures 10ft by 7ft.

Drug abuse is rampant, hygiene is extremely poor, while toilets and water sources are filthy.

Although rudimentary medical facilities are available, sickness is a regular feature of prison life.

Mr Tweedy added: "Billy's family feel he has been abandoned by consular staff in Manila. One official reported the prison had 'everything you could wish for except freedom and a swimming pool'!

"Another had even admitted to Billy's brother that while they were saying they were doing everything they could, in truth they were doing as little as possible.

"As already stated, we don't condone what he did. However, we believe he has served his time and we are now lobbying MPs, the Foreign Office, and Foreign Secretary, William Hague, for his early release."

He added: "Taking on governments doesn't intimidate us and we won't

rest until Billy is free."

Burton grew up in Wetherby and worked in a library and at Heathrow before he set off for the Far East.

He was caught with cannabis in his luggage while boarding a flight from the Philippines to Australia.

In letter sent earlier this month to Mr Tweedy, Burton wrote: "The water (in prison) is obtained from standpipes and is full of mosquito larvae, diseases and illnesses including tuberculosis, typhoid and leprosy."