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Inside Out West investigates Bristol man's imprisonment in Malta
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Regional current affairs programme Inside Out West this week investigates the case of Steven Marsden, from Bristol, who has been locked up in a Maltese prison for more than two years.
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He is accused of conspiracy to smuggle drugs but he has never had a trial and the Maltese authorities have not found any illegal drugs.
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Steven's case has been taken up by the Fair Trials International campaign group.
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The organisation's lawyer Saima Hirji says: "He has now spent 26 months in a foreign prison for charges which simply don't stand up to scrutiny."
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Steven was arrested in July 2006, coming off a boat from Sicily. Drug squad officers say they were acting on a tip-off after months of investigations.
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Hidden in his car were more than 50,000 pills, thought to be the biggest haul of ecstasy ever uncovered on the island.
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It looked like a straightforward case but, two months after the seizure, it was discovered that the pills were not ecstasy but a chemical called mCPP.
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The chemical is often sold as an alternative to ecstasy for clubbers. Ìý
At the time of Steven's arrest mCPP was not unlawful in Malta.
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Steven insists he knew the pills were not illegal and only hid them to avoid any hassle from customs officers. Ìý
The police say it is irrelevant what the pills turned out to be.
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They insist that Steven intended to bring in ecstasy and should therefore face a charge of conspiracy to smuggle drugs. Ìý
Steven's pleas to be released on bail have all been rejected. The authorities fear he could flee the island.
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His lawyer, Joseph Brincat, says: "I have been practising in the criminal courts for the last 38 years and Mr Marsden's case is a parody of justice."
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Back home in Bristol, Steven has a daughter, Emma Bartholomew, who is campaigning for his release.
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Emma would like her dad to be able to see the granddaughter he has never met. She will be two years old in November.
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Inside Out West travels to Malta with Emma to visit her father for the first time since his imprisonment.
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Emma has never doubted his innocence and claims she had checked the legal status of the pills on the internet for her dad before he tried to bring them into Malta.
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Emma is allowed to spend a few hours with her dad at Malta's Corradino Correctional Facility.
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She tells the 91Èȱ¬: "No matter how long it takes or what I have to do I won't stop until my father is released from this horrible place."
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The Maltese Attorney General declined to meet with Emma.
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He says delays in dealing with the case have been caused by various legal appeals filed by Steven's lawyers.
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Inside Out West is on 91Èȱ¬ One West at 7.30pm on Wednesday 24 September 2008.
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It will also be available in the UK on 91Èȱ¬ iPlayer for seven days after the original broadcast.
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91Èȱ¬ Bristol Press Office
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