Man jailed over drugs is allowed back to UK

Patrick Malluzzo, from Dartford, Kent, was handed a 10-year jail term in 2006 following what was allegedly a "grossly unfair trial".

The 33-year-old had been arrested two years earlier for possession of cannabis after the drug was found in a bag he gave to an acquaintance.

During his time in tough Kota prison in Rajasthan he has suffered serious illnesses and has to share a cell with more than 50 other inmates.

The Indian ministry of home affairs has now granted approval for Malluzzo to serve the rest of his jail term in Britain, Fair Trials International (FTI) said.

FTI legal case worker Wafa Shah said: "The Indian authorities have granted Patrick's request to be removed back to Britain and now it is up to the British Ministry of Justice to process that through.

"That can take any amount of time but we are hoping that the fact that the Indian authorities have acted quickly, that his application will also be processed quickly in Britain."

FTI has supported Malluzzo after he was convicted at a trial conducted entirely in Hindi and which presented no DNA or fingerprint evidence linking him to the drugs.

His father Salvatore Malluzzo said: "We are disappointed that he is not coming home with his name cleared."

Malluzzo's criminal charges followed his meeting up with an old acquaintance and arranging to travel to Goa with him.

His companion booked two tickets to Goa via Mumbai. But Malluzzo says he then changed his mind and decided to stay on in Rajasthan and travel to Goa later.

He claims he asked his friend to take with him a bag of dirty washing, which also contained a prescription in his name.

The pair went their separate ways but Malluzzo later received a phone call saying his friend had lost his bags after jumping off a train. Train staff found the three bags and a large quantity of cannabis resin.

Malluzzo was arrested at Mumbai airport in January 2004 as he tried to fly to Thailand.