The girlfriend of an Argyll ex-soldier held in an Indian jail for the past two months said last night that plans to have him home soon may have been dashed.
Billy Irving, 33, from Connel, was working as a security guard with a group protecting commercial shipping in the Indian Ocean when they were all arrested in mid-October.
Last night, heartbroken Yvonne Machugh demanded that the British Government intervenes to get her boyfriend and the other men home.
Billy and 34 others from the patrol vessel Seaman Guard Ohio are being held in unhygienic and cramped cells at Puzhal Central Prison.
None of them have been charged with any offence.
Their fourth bail application on Boxing Day was apparently successful, leading to celebrations among concerned relatives.
On Friday, the men’s employer Continued on Page 6
American security company AdvanFort said they were arranging to put up the bail and were organising accommodation and transport to get them out of India.
At that time, a company spokesman said:
“The most urgent and compelling interest for all involved – including the families of the captives, the AdvanFort Company and most importantly the guards and crew themselves – has been to release them from confinement.”
The company has now told relatives they do not expect them to be released.
Miss Machugh, 25, said: “We got an e-mail from the company to say they would not be released on bail.
“I am heartbroken that Billy and the other men remain locked up in horrific conditions, being treated like criminals.
“They are innocent men, who have devoted their lives to protecting others, and are being punished in the most vile way for something they have not done and have no control over.
“We need the British Government to step up their actions and ensure Billy and the others are brought home safe and well.”
A petition was launched calling on Foreign Secretary William Hague to act to get the men out of jail.
It has been signed by more than 36,000 people.