YORK air enthusiast Andy Jenkins will have to stay in his Greek prison cell until £9,000 can be found to rescue him.

His family today confirmed they cannot pay the five million drachma bail money which has been set by the judges presiding over his case.

They launched a desperate plea for help from the people of York, to help them bring him home.

His sister, Adele Yon, of Bishopthorpe, said: "We are a proud family, and the last thing we would ever want to do is go asking people for help with this money.

"But just look at this situation. There is nothing we can do. It is totally dreadful."

Adele said her sister, Linda, brother, Steve, and father, Edwin, had all agreed that, with mortgages to pay and young mouths to feed, none of them could even come close to the £9,100 total.

Edwin said: "It's outrageous that the bail is this high - how do they expect anyone to pay it?"

Adele added: "He's being made to pay for the privilege of being wrongly accused of something, thrown in jail, not given a chance to have his say, and left to rot.

"We want him home so much it hurts. When we saw him in prison, the first thing we said was we wanted to wade in there and take him home. Now he has to buy his way out.

"Maybe somebody can help us, a businessman or lottery winner. Andrew has done nothing wrong."

There had been suggestions that a national newspaper would pay the entire group's bail money, totalling more than £127,000.

But the group's lawyer, Ioannis Zacharias, today said he had heard the newspaper was only paying for the release of group leader Paul Coppin, and his wife, Lesley.

"They (the newspaper) were looking for sponsors yesterday for the others, but I don't think they got any. They say they are just paying for the Coppins."

Mr Zacharias also denied suggestions by one of the detainees that the group members would have to pay their legal fees before they could leave prison.

"That is absolutely untrue," he added.

"We have set the fees at £3,000 each, but that is payable when they have gone home.

"We have stipulated that it must be paid in reasonable time, which means before Christmas, but there is no question of them not being released until they have paid us."

The judges yesterday lowered the charges against the plane spotters from spying to "illegal information collection".

The group may have to return for a trial next year, but Mr Zacharias said he was confident the charges would be dropped.

If they were to be found guilty, a fine would be likely.

If you would like to help raise the cash to bring Andy home, write to Edwin Jenkins at 6 Barkston Avenue, Acomb, York, YO26 5DJ.

Updated: 11:00 Thursday, December 13, 2001