A former soldier imprisoned in India has sent a defiant message to those in power, insisting he will never give up his fight for freedom.

Speaking from prison, John Armstrong, 30, told the News & Star: “I am not afraid of what is to come.

“The only thing they have taken from me is my freedom, but they have failed to succeed in taking anything else.”

The ex-paratrooper was speaking just days before he is set to learn whether he will be forced to spend another two-and-a-half years in the hell hole of Puzhal Prison, Chennai, for crimes he insists he is innocent of.

The Wigton man is one of six Britons – collectively known as the #Chennai6 after the city where they’re imprisoned – fighting for their freedom.

They and 29 other crew members on board the Seaman Guard Ohio were arrested in October 2013, eventually being convicted of illegally possessing guns in Indian territorial waters – despite having licences issued by the UK Government.

After 22 months in prison – and more than four years trapped in India – they will learn on Monday whether an appeal against their conviction and five- year jail sentence has been successful.

Speaking exclusively from his prison cell, John admitted that when initially arrested he never imagined the nightmare that would follow.

“To begin with I never believed I’d still be here after four years,” he said. “But then as time went on, and seeing how the system worked, I knew this was going to happen.

“There was no hope when we were all out of jail, with the charges dropped, and still not allowed home. I could see how it was going to go.”

The case has drawn global attention, as the British men are all Armed Forces veterans – many having completed tours of Afghanistan and Iraq. They later moved into maritime security, working to protect sailors and merchant vessels from the danger of pirates.

John’s sister, Joanne Thomlinson, has helped spearhead the campaign to free the men.

Speaking about Monday’s verdict she said: “We have no idea what lies ahead of us, but all we can do is hope and pray that John and all of his 34 colleagues are allowed to come home.

“If the verdict doesn’t go the way it should, we will dust ourselves off and keep fighting.

“We’ve promised we won’t give up until these men are home with their families where they belong.”

The generosity of Cumbrians has been singled out - with fundraisers raising more to help six imprisoned veterans in India, than the rest of the UK combined.

The kindness of strangers as well as friends, family and former colleagues is something John Armstrong, 30, says has helped keep him going through his darkest days.

Speaking to the News & Star from inside Puzhal prison, he couldn’t praise the community enough for all they have done.

“I think Wigton - and Cumbria - is amazing,” he said. “I’ve seen the support for other people here and, to put it into perspective, Wigton has raised more money than the whole country.

“Thank you so much to people far and wide for supporting our campaign. We would be a lot worse off if Wigton and Cumbria were not supporting us.”

This money has been a lifeline for the army veterans, who have not been paid by their employer - American anti-piracy firm AdvanFort - since they were arrested on board the Seaman Guard Ohio in October 2013.

This has added financial hardship to families already facing the loss of a partner, dad, husband, son or brother.

Yvonne MacHugh, whose fiancé Billy Irving is one of those imprisoned alongside John, said: “We use the money from the fund to pay for the lawyer - we could not have gone back to court if it wasn’t for that fund.

“I mean, most of us are just getting by as it is. We’ve lost houses and cars and everything due to this. But because of the fund we’re able to get a lawyer.”

And, while the money is making a real difference to the families, simply knowing so many people are behind them is a support in itself.

John’s older sister, Joanne Thomlinson, has led the campaign in Cumbria, spearheading fundraising efforts and a publicity campaign to raise awareness about the injustice being done to her brother.

As she toils tirelessly - while also working and bringing up two young children - she relies on that community support.

“We put together a little team of people to try and think of fundraising ideas, at the beginning, and our family friend Nicki Simpson came up with the idea of a cream tea as a good starter,” the 32-year-old recalled.

“I remember going that day, and the roads in Wigton being completely blocked off because of all the cars that turned up. We were just absolutely blown away.

“Lots of people stopped us in the street and asked after John and sent letters and things, but until that point I don’t think we really realised how many people - even people who didn’t know John but were from Wigton or the surrounding area - wanted to help.

“We didn’t realise how much support there was until that day.”

Joanne said: “And it isn’t just even the money. It’s well wishers, people who can’t give anything, just knowing that they’re behind us.

“It’s being stopped in the street by people I don’t really know: I might recognise their face slightly but I don’t know their names. They give me a huge hug and some of them start crying when they’re asking about John and how he is.

“You just think, it’s absolutely incredible that after so long, people are still so involved. We didn’t really expect that from anyone else. It’s John, he’s our responsibility, but the community has taken it on as their responsibility which is just amazing.

“That has continued until this day, and we know that it will continue until John gets home.”

Yvonne added: “I’ve also got a lot of strength from all the fundraising. I’ve come down to the events because it gives us such a boost as well, not just John’s family but every other family, to see all these people care.

“When you’re at your lowest and you think nobody is helping us, you have to remind yourself that there are half a million people who’ve signed a petition to help us, people who’ve donated ridiculous amounts of money, who’ve donated the spare pound that they’ve had, who’ve done everything they can to help.

“Then you think, actually, we’re so lucky: we could have nobody, and yet we have so many people helping us.”