THE family of jailed charity worker Ian Stillman will be taking his plight to the Home Secretary today.

They have secured a face-to-face meeting with Jack Straw in London and are hoping to push his case - which they feel has been at a standstill for weeks.

Mr Stillman, who is deaf and has only one leg, was jailed in India three years ago after being convicted of cannabis possession, a charge he has always denied.

The 51-year-old father-of-two, whose parents live in Tadcaster Road, York, moved to India 30 years ago to set up a charity which has now taught independence skills to more than 1,000 deaf Indians.

A request for a Presidential Pardon has been made to the Indian Government, but the family has been waiting for weeks without hearing any news, and hope Mr Straw can press the case forward.

"This will be the first time we have met Jack Straw, even though we have constantly requested a meeting," said Mr Stillman's sister, Elspeth Dugdale.

"We are hoping the meeting will be positive and prove to be a milestone in that we will be able to find a solution that breaks the current impasse."

Although this is the first meeting with the family, Mr Straw has been made aware of Mr Stillman's case and has raised it with Indian Government officials.

Mr Stillman's brother-in-law, Jerry Dugdale, and sister, Ali Phelps, are flying to India next week to visit him and his wife, Sue, and hold meetings with the Indian Home Ministry and lawyers.

They are also hoping to visit Ian on his 52nd birthday on December 1.