The fiancee of a Scots anti-piracy worker sentenced to five years in an Indian jail over weapons and smuggling charges has said it is a "massive miscarriage of justice".

Yvonne MacHugh has also called on the UK Government to step in to get the six Britons being held, including her partner Billy Irving, released.

Mr Irving, 35, a former paratrooper from Connel near Oban, was among 33 men on the American anti-piracy boat the Seaman Guard Ohio when it was detained in October 2013.

He was originally released in April 2014 following a long battle by lawyers and the men's families to free them after they were accused of straying into Indian waters and carrying weapons without permission.

They were working for a firm called AdvanFort at the time, which maintains the work was entirely legal.

Despite being released Mr Irving was forced to remain in India while his lawyers fought to have the charges dropped.

Many of Mr Irving's supporters had been expecting the charges to finally be dropped on Monday.

Ms MacHugh told STV News that Mr Irving broke the news to her in a tearful Skype call on Monday morning.

The 27-year-old, who lives in Neilston with the couple's ten-month old son, said: "This is completely unexpected. It's just biggest shock ever and I still can't believe it's happened. All the weapons were legal, they had all the permissions and all the paperwork was handed in to the courts.

"I cannot understand how they've come to this conclusion, there's absolutely nothing to say they're guilty.

"You expect a trial to be fair but this has not been in the slightest. It's corrupt. The Indian media have blown this up into a huge story and have been calling the men spies, smugglers and terrorists over there."

On Monday Mr Irving was transferred to the notorious Palayamokotti prison.

Ms MacHugh claims AdvanFort has "abandoned" the men and is now calling on the UK Government to intervene.

She said: "The company has totally abandoned them. If anything had happened, it should be the company who are sitting in prison, not the men.

"I'm calling on the UK Government to step in. They should have done it two years ago but they didn't. They must do it now. This is a massive miscarriage of justice. We just want them home."

Ms MacHugh is hoping that the international maritime organisation can secure legal representation for an appeal or that the case will be taken up by the unfair trials organisation.

She added: "I spoke to Billy from the courthouse over Skype so he was able to see our son William for the last time. He was not good.

"He was just so heartbroken and kept telling me that he was sorry, but it's not his fault. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I'm just so gutted because I was planning to take our son over to visit Billy in India over Christmas but we decided not to go because we thought he would be getting out in January.

"We don't have much money and we thought it would be more sensible to use it to start our new life together this year. I wish I had gone now."

East Renfrewshire MP Kirsten Oswald tweeted her support for Mr Irving saying she believes he is innocent.

Mr Irving posted on his Facebook page: "All weapon licences were given into court (originals), all ship certificates were given to court, all passports n seaman books, everything was given and judge has told us we are guilty and we are going straight to prison for five years.

"Thank you all for your support. I won't have any comms soon as we are about to be taken away.

"I still don't know if what is going on, I have been told we didn't prove we were an anti-piracy company."

Brendan O'Hara, SNP MP for Argyll and Bute, said: "This morning I met the Foreign Office minister Hugo Swire MP to discuss this terrible situation and to see what further action the UK Government plan to take in light of this verdict and sentence.

"I put on record my deep disappointment at this news, as many of us expected that Billy and his shipmates would be found not guilty and released, particularly as the case was thrown out of court at an earlier hearing.

"I also expressed my shock at the length of sentence; the maximum possible term of five years 'rigorous imprisonment'.

"I understand the men will make an immediate application for bail and that they will also be appealing this verdict. I sincerely hope they will be successful in both of these."

Mr O'Hara said that although the Government has discussed the case with Indian authorities many times, it "clearly hasn't been enough". ends 111453 JAN 16

The other British guards, who are all ex-military, are John Armstrong, of Wigton, in Cumbria, Nick Dunn, 28, of Ashington in Northumberland, Ray Tindall, 38, of Chester, Nicholas Simpson, originally of Cottingham in East Yorkshire, and Paul Towers, of Pocklington, also in East Yorkshire.

The International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots has previously said the crewmen and guards were being subjected to "inhumane" conditions in prison.

Spokesman Captain James Staples said they were "deprived of proper medical treatment, bathing facilities and adequate food".

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