Lawyers give jailed brothers new hope (From Western Telegraph)

Lawyers give jailed brothers new hope

PORTUGUESE LAWYERS for the jailed Stowe brothers, of Milford Haven, say they are confident they will be released on appeal.

Graham and Andrew Stowe were imprisoned for 12 years in Faro, Portugal, on Thursday after being convicted of drug trafficking.

Their legal advisor, Adrian Jenkins, said they were devastated at the severity of the sentence, and an appeal had already been submitted. The hearing will take place within six months.

Graham Stowe, aged 41, and Andrew Stowe, aged 37, were arrested in Faro on the Algarve in July 1999 after almost 800 kilos of cannabis worth £3 million was found in packages on the seabed under the mooring of their converted trawler.

They were in prison for almost a year before they were charged, and then waited in jail for almost another year before their trial was held last month. They have consistently denied the charge of smuggling and say they were in the Algarve to set up a diving school.

Mr Jenkins claimed the trial was a sham and a disgrace. He said the proceedings were not recorded and were held entirely in Portuguese, despite pleas for a translator.

He added: 'A 52-page report compiled by three marine experts on the feasibility of the brothers vessel towing the drugs into Faro had concluded that they could not possibly have done so.

'Yet this evidence, which was commissioned by the court, was not taken into account by the judge in arriving at his verdict.'

Mr Jenkins argued that in doing this, the judge broke the law. He said: 'In this country, you are innocent until proven guilty. In Portugal, it is exactly the reverse.

'This is not a simple case of the brothers being found guilty. They have not been given the legal right to prove their innocence. The Algarve is littered with drugs. They just happened to find them.'

Both brothers were born and brought up in Milford Haven. Graham has two teenage sons and worked for Cape Welding, employed largely in the refineries. Andrew has one teenage son and worked at the Meads Leisure Centre. Both are keen divers.

Their father, Dilwyn Stowe, aged 74, has supported his sons throughout and was in court for the verdict.

He has remortgaged his home to help pay the £30,000 costs of their defence and says he will continue to campaign on their behalf.

Unfortunately, he has suffered considerably, particularly financially, said Mr Jenkins. 'He has had to offer up funds for legal fees. His lifesavings are gone. At a time when he deserves to be taking it easy, he is fighting an injustice.'

Mr Stowe is now to seek the support of MPs and the Government in bringing pressure on the courts in Portugal.