JAILED charity worker Ian Stillman has made a personal plea to Tony Blair to help free him from a life of hell in an Indian prison.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Stillman urged him to request a full legal pardon from the Indian authorities and said he needed urgent medical attention.

Mr Stillman, 52, whose parents live in Tadcaster Road, York, is serving a ten-year sentence for possession of cannabis, a charge he has vehemently denied.

Although he is profoundly deaf, he was denied a sign language interpreter at his trial nearly two years ago.

He told Mr Blair: "I urge this personal intervention immediately as I have already spent 21 months in jail for a crime I did not commit."

His parents, Roy and Monica Stillman, were among an eight-strong family group to hand the letter in at Downing Street yesterday. From there, they visited Indian High Commissioner Ronen Fenn to deliver a 75,000 signature petition calling for their son's release.

Mr Stillman's brother-in-law, Jerry Dugdale, said morale among his supporters was strong at the moment.

"Comments made by the Indian deputy prime minister last week, when he said an application for clemency would be looked at sympathetically and swiftly, encouraged us all," he said.