The sister of a former Paratrooper imprisoned overseas has met an Indian Government official for the first time.

John Armstrong was arrested more than three years ago while on board an anti-piracy vessel off the Indian coast, and his Wigton-based family has been campaigning to clear his name ever since.

Now the 29-year-old's sister, Joanne Thomlinson , has travelled to London met the Indian High Commissioner.

She was joined by Yvonne MacHugh, whose fiance Billy Irving is one of five other Britons in jail alongside John.

The men were among 35 crew members arrested in October 2013 on suspicion of illegally possessing firearms in international waters.

The charges were initially quashed, but reinstated on appeal. The men were convicted in January last year and jailed for five years.

Speaking after her London meeting, Joanne, 31, from Blennerhasset, said: "We met with consular staff in the Foreign Office first, and talked about issues going on currently and the wait for the men's appeal verdict to be announced. We talked about how that is affecting the men.

"We were in there quite a while and then we met with the Indian High Commissioner. It was the first time we've met an Indian Government official since John's arrest.

"It was a big meeting for us."

The High Commissioner has only been in post since December, and so was not as well-briefed on the Britons' case.

Joanne continued: "He knew some details, but we filled him in with as much as we could in the time we had and he seemed quite sympathetic.

"He said he would write to the Indian Government on the back of our meeting, to say he had met with some of the families of the Chennai 6 [as the six Britons are known] and that they have some concerns about the case.

"He cannot intervene with the Indian judicial system, but he can raise concerns.

"From our point of view we wanted to build a relationship from this side, so we have got someone from the Indian Government we can keep in touch with.

"This is just a new angle to the situation for us - and it is easier to explain things face-to-face."

While the men are no closer to a decision on their appeal - heard several months ago - Joanne said the meeting was a positive one.

She said it has given the campaigners fighting for the men's freedom fresh energy as they continue to battle to see their sentence and conviction overturned, and the men returned home.

John, a former Nelson Thomlinson School pupil, and the other five Britons are being kept in poor conditions in a Chennai jail. The News & Star has previously reported on dirty conditions, lack of food and John's accusation that he was tied up, beaten, strangled and injected with unknown drugs in a mental institution.