'Race against time' for drug trial Nick (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

'Race against time' for drug trial Nick

JAPANESE lawyers have finally requested evidence which officials believe may prove the innocence of accused drug smuggler Nick Baker.

But Baroness Sarah Ludford, who visited the 32-year-old in prison last week, admits they face "a race against time" to have it considered.

Nick, who was caught with a suitcase containing £1.5 million worth of drugs at Tokyo Airport, has been languishing in the city's Chiba Prison since his arrest last April.

The Cotswold father says he was framed by a travelling companion and his mother Iris and UK officials say there is evidence the "friend" has tried similar scams around the world.

The other man was later arrested and charged with drug trafficking in Belgium, before being released on bail.

But, despite requests from Nick's lawyer, Baroness Ludford, the international Fair Trials Abroad charity, and even the UK Foreign Office, the Japanese authorities have failed to consider the evidence.

Now, just days before Nick is due to be sentenced, the Japanese equivalent of the Bar Association in the Chiba district has finally written to the Belgian authorities requesting details.

Baroness Ludford said: "We've got a race against time. I'm trying to get in touch with the Belgian solicitors to encourage them to give a positive reply.

"Hopefully our visit will have made life uncomfortable for the Japanese authorities. We're all biting our finger nails to see if the evidence is going to get there in time."

In a letter to the Standard, earlier this month, Nick complained of mental abuse and horrific conditions, which have left him with a bent spine and deformed finger.

Baroness Ludford travelled to Tokyo with Sabine Zanker of Fair Trials Abroad and spoke to Nick about his situation.

She said: "He was clearly under a great deal of strain. He came close to tears when he was thinking about the fact he hadn't seen his little boy walk."

Nick, whose partner and son live in Stroud, claims his "friend" engineered it so that they would carry each other's cases through customs at Tokyo and that he didn't realise what was in his companion's luggage.

The former Cirencester sandwich shop owner is due to be sentenced on Thursday, June 12 and the prosecution is recommending he receive 15 years in prison.

His mother Iris, who lives near Cirencester, is continuing her campaign to clear her son's name.