Jail hell of Yorkshire pirate hunters

IN Palayamkottai Prison, it pays to keep your wits about you. One of the most notorious jails in India, it teams with murderers, terrorists and some of the country’s most infamous gangsters.

Living conditions are a far cry from those in British jails, with inmates squeezed together in small cells and forced to sleep on concrete floors. Murderous battles between rival gangs are commonplace.

It is in this squalid, dangerous environment that three former servicemen from Yorkshire have been told they will be spending the next five years.

By now Ray Tindall, Paul Towers and Nicholas Simpson had expected to be back home after the charges against them were initially dropped.

Instead they find themselves in a living hell – and their families are left fearing for their safety.

“I was expecting him to come home, everyone was,” says Ray Tindall’s mother, Carole Edmonds, at her home in Keyingham just outside Hull. “The judge seemed to be on their side all the way through the case and then he just had a total turnaround.

“My son’s a very strong man but there’s only so much one person can take. It’s just a feeling of total devastation at what has happened.”

The men were working as security guards for AdvanFort, a US firm that provides armed protection to vessels sailing through the so-called “pirates’ alley” between the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.

Their ship was intercepted by the Indian coastguard in October 2013 after officials say it strayed into the country’s territorial waters. A total of 35 guns, including semi-automatic weapons, and almost 6,000 rounds of ammunition were found on board.

AdvanFort denies the ship was inside Indian waters and says it had only stopped to refuel after being battered by a strong cyclone. It insists all weapons on board had been legally purchased and were used solely to safeguard commercial ships against piracy in high-risk areas.

Yet, after seeing the firearms charges against them quashed at an earlier stage in proceedings, the men were left stunned when a court this month imposed a five-year sentence of “rigorous imprisonment”.

Having previously been moved to the still dangerous Puzhal Prison after complaining about conditions, they are back in Palaymkottai once more where they are deprived of proper medical treatment, bathing facilities and adequate food.

Ex-Army sniper Ray, a former sergeant with The 1st Battalion Yorkshire Regiment, managed to get a message out on Facebook after the shock verdict.

“We have done nothing wrong at all, the judge has totally ignored the evidence,” he said. “Please help, everyone, please, we are desperate.”

The men are having to sleep on concrete floors, with 23 inmates packed together like sardines in cells measuring 10ft by 15ft. They have had their shoes taken from them, whereas previously they were at least able to use them as pillows.

Thankfully, they have enough water to drink but they get just two cups of tea along with a boiled egg and a chapati to eat each day. Once a week they are given some chicken, which is considered a luxury.

Ray, who has a young daughter, Lyra, and two children from a previous relationship, was medically discharged from the Army in 2013 for hearing loss associated with weapons fire. He received a payout of £20,000 but had expected around £80,000 in return for his 17 years’ service.

A recent change in Ministry of Defence rules meant he was penalised for broken service, having been out of the Army for three years training snipers in the Armed Forces in Jordan and America.

The 40-year-old has since established himself as a prize-winning butcher, but his family believe the lower than expected payout was the reason he took the job with AdvanFort – and the risks that go hand in hand with patrolling the priate-infested waters off the coast of Africa.

Despite a drop in the number of attacks by mostly Somali pirates in recent years, there is still high demand for the services of those who can handle themselves in a firefight as firms look to protect shipments on these hazardous trade routes.

As little as four years’ military experience can be required for work that is advertised as suiting “adventurous and skilled security professionals”.

One ex-serviceman told The Yorkshire Post: “Of course this sort of work comes with risks, but the pay reflects that. A member of an armed security team on an anti-piracy detail can earn several hundred pounds a day.”

Ann Towers was so confident husband Paul, a former member of the Parachute Regiment, would be freed at this latest hearing that she was making plans to book a ticket to fly out to India to greet the 52-year-old on his release.

Instead she and son Jordan, from Pocklington, can only fight for Paul’s freedom from 5,000 miles away.

“The way that the trial had gone, the indications from the evidence submitted by the men’s lawyers, we felt it was positive,” she has said. “I think it’s shocked not only the families and the people who have been trying to help us but I think it’s also shocked the MPs and ministers as well.

“I’m sitting here totally devastated and not quite knowing what to do next. I can say personally that between Paul, myself and son we have served our Queen and country for nearly 65 years so I’m hoping that now this crushing decision has come that they’ll step up.

“There have been talks and discussions but we need something more robust now. I use this opportunity to make a plea on behalf of all the families and all those who care for us to please do something because this is a living nightmare.”

Paul’s 21-year-old son Jordan has set up a Facebook page – Free the Beard – to draw attention to his father’s plight, while a fighting fund set up by Yvonne MacHugh, whose partner Billy Irving is among the six Britons held, has received nearly £25,000 in donations. A petition calling for the men’s release has gathered more than 340,000 supporters.

However, despite David Cameron writing to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ministers raising the case more than 20 times since the men were arrested, the UK authorities say their hands are tied.

“Our staff in India and the UK have been in close contact with all six men since their arrest to provide support to them and their families, including attending court,” said a spokeswoman for the Foreign Office.

“We recognise what a difficult time this is for those involved. There is now a 90-day window to appeal and we will continue to provide consular assistance. However, we cannot interfere in another country’s judicial process.”

But there is a glimmer of hope for the families left fearing the worst. Dr Amrita Mukherjee, an expert in Indian law from the University of Leeds, believes the Indian government is flexing its muscles and that if the men can secure an appeal, they have a good chance of winning their freedom.

“There is little in international law in terms of legal protection for this sort of work but it seems surprising that they have been subject to such a harsh punishment,” she says.

“I think they have a good chance of being released given the amount of media interest in the case both here and in India. However, the wheels of justice are known to move slowly in India and it could take time.”

For the moment, all the families can do is keep campaigning – and keep hoping.

“I know Ray’s a trained soldier, but you can’t help worrying,” says Carole Edmonds. “He’s still my son.”

How the saga unfolded

October 2013 – Ray Tindall, originally from Hull, Paul Towers, of Pocklington, and Nicholas Simpson, from Catterick, are among six Britons arrested by the Indian coastguard after anti-pirate vessel MV Seaman Guard Ohio is said to have strayed into Indian waters.

April 2014 – The firearms charges against the men are dropped and in July five of the men, with the exception of Paul Towers, are released from prison on bail.

October 2014 – The men are refused permission to return home as Indian police appeal against the decision to acquit them.

January 2016 – A court in Tamil Nadu finds the men guilty and sentences them to five years in jail. All six Britons are now set to appeal.