Petition
urges PM
to help
free jailed
boat crew

Relatives of the six, half of whom have links to Yorkshire, handed in a 143,000-name signature petition to Downing Street yesterday urging Prime Minister David Cameron to intervene.

Paul Towers, an ex-member of the Parachute Regiment from Pocklington, former Army sniper Ray Tindall, from Chester, whose mother Carole Ann Edmonds lives at Keyingham, near Hull, and Nicholas Simpson, from Catterick, North Yorkshire, were among 35 crew arrested on October 12 and have been in prison since October 24.

The men were working for US private maritime company AdvanFort providing anti-piracy protection when their ship was detained.

According to the men, Indian authorities claim the vessel entered Indian waters illegally with weapons on board, despite AdvanFort apparently insisting the ship had the correct papers.

The online petition, set up at Change.org, calls on the Government to step in and help the men and at well over the 100,000-name threshold should trigger a Parliamentary debate. It was delivered to Downing Street yesterday by family members including Don Towers, father of Paul Towers, Mr Irving’s partner Yvonne MacHugh as well as Mr Dunn’s sister Lisa Dunn.

Bail hearings have been deferred on five occasions and further confusion was added yesterday after the American firm, which employs the men, dismissed their British lawyers. A bail hearing is due either tomorrow or Friday.

Mr Towers, from Liverpool, said they felt “helpless”, adding: “I got a letter from Paul. They are in pretty good spirits but it must be very wearing. He said to me: ‘Dad, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.’ It could have been anybody.

“In all honesty I don’t know what they (the Government) are doing, I’ve been told they are doing their best and things are moving forward, but you can’t challenge them to say they are not doing it, as it is all diplomatic.

“Because we can’t do anything we have been sending food parcels and stuff. We have been sending them little food boxes, chocolates, sweets, chewing gum – I even sent underwear and T-shirts, and they ended up giving underwear to some of the Estonian lads (who are also being held) who have been getting nothing.”

Ms Dunn said: “My brother has been in prison all this time. I went to India to see him a few weeks ago and the situation is just terrible. We are desperate to hear what is going to be done, and now that we have collected over 143,000 signatures in the UK we will be seeking to appeal to the Government to debate this in the House urgently.”

Maritime welfare charity The Mission To Seafarers has been providing prison-visiting services to Chennai prison where the men are being held and working to support families in the UK. The organisation hopes to raise £100,000 to pay for advice, support and counselling for all 35 men.

Secretary General, Rev Andrew Wright, said: “The Mission To Seafarers has been closely involved with both the crew and their families throughout this long ordeal and we will continue to do all that we can in support.”