THE parents of a 50-year-old deaf man, who is in an Indian jail for alleged possession of drugs, hope he could be set free next week.

Roy and Monica Stillman, of Dringhouses, York, are hoping that a court hearing on Monday, July 9 will see their son, Ian, released on bail after nearly a year in prison.

Ian has lived in India since 1972, with his Indian wife, Sue, and has two children Lennie, 22, and Anita, 19. In 1995 he lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident.

His life there has been devoted to helping the deaf, and Roy said that he had been in the north of the country looking at setting up another project when he was arrested.

"He had been researching the possibility of making a handicrafts centre similar to the one in the south," he said.

"The police thought he was just another part of a drugs racket. He was in a taxi on the way down from the upper valleys, passing through a township called Manali and there was a police check. He was bundled out of the taxi.

"They said they found the drugs on him and said he had a bag containing 20kg of cannabis on his lap in the taxi which he disowns completely. He hasn't even got a lap. He's only got one leg."

He said the family found out about Ian's arrest when they saw him on a television newsflash, and one of Roy's daughters travelled to York from Leeds to break the news to him and Monica.

He said Ian had been determined to stand trial because of his faith in the Indian justice system and his commitment to his work there.

But throughout his arrest and trial, Ian was left unable to communicate as he could not lip-read Hindi or read Hindi documents and no interpreter was provided.

Ian is now in a jail where he has to share a 22ft by 11ft space with 30 other people. Lennie has moved close to the jail so he can visit him regularly, while Sue is working to keep his projects going.

Meanwhile, Ian's sister Elspeth, and brother-in-law Jerry are working with the group Fair Trials Abroad to get him released on bail and for an early appeal.

Roy and Monica have just got back from a visit to relatives in the south of England and were heartened by messages of support that were waiting for them when they returned.

Roy said they were feeling optimistic after Stephen Jakobi, founder director of Fair Trials Abroad, told them he was very confident about the appeal, and after Foreign Secretary Jack Straw intervened.

He said: "We're OK and encouraged by the interest and support from people all over the world."

To find out more about Ian's case, you can visit www.ianstillman.fsnet.co.uk

Updated: 08:51 Thursday, July 05, 2001