John Armstrong is one of six Britons imprisoned in the Chennai jail, sentenced to five years labour after being convicted of the illegal possession of weapons in Indian waters.
Efforts have been stepped up to fight for the men’s freedom, with the families gathering almost 350,000 signatures on an online petition.
It is now one month since the Wigton man – and 34 others from on board the Seaman Guard Ohio – were jailed.
An appeal was lodged at the end of January but it could be weeks until a date is set - and Yvonne Machugh, fiance of Briton Billy Irving, has warned it could be months before the appeal is heard.
Yvonne travelled to India with John’s sister Joanne Thomlinson to see the men.
Joanne, 30, of Blennerhasset, said the visit had been successful.
“It was a bit of an unreal situation visiting the prison but it was reassuring seeing John,” she said.
“The acting British High Commissioner flew down from Dehli to meet Yvonne and me, and we had various meeting with lawyers and the embassy while we were there so it was a productive trip.
“We’re just waiting for a date for the bail hearing now - it could be a few weeks before we find out a date– and in the meantime we’re concentrating on our fundraising.”
The next major fundraiser– with all money going towards a joint campaign, aiming to raise £100,000 for the six Britons’ legal fees – takes place at 2pm on Sunday March 13, in the New Stocksman, on Syke Road.
It will be a cream tea and raffle, with organisers hoping to raise as much money as possible for John - previous teas have brought in several thousand pounds.
Joanne wrote a moving account of her time in India on the Bring John Home Facebook page, in which she spoke of the strength John, 27, is showing.
“I don’t know what I was expecting really before I went into the prison,” she wrote, “but what I saw before me was not a broken man; I saw John my little brother who, despite wearing a prison uniform, sleeping on concrete and not having his freedom, is just the same old John, very strong and coping amazingly well under the circumstances. “Walking out of the prison and leaving him behind was the hardest part; seeing him being locked back into the prison compound while we got to walk out of the main door was pretty tough.
“But as the guard locked the gate of the compound John turned around from behind the bars of the gate, waved and gave me another huge smile. I watched until he walked out of sight, back to his cell, confidently striding with his head held high. I’ll keep that image in my head until he gets home.”
Sign the petition online at
Follow the men’s progress online at
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