A MOTHER-of-two whose fiancé was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in India has been forced to wait for the appeal against his conviction to start.

Former soldier Ray Tindall was one of six British soldiers and 29 others from Estonia, Ukraine and India who were arrested onboard the MV Seaman Guard Ohio, an anti-pirate ship working in Indian waters.

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Charges of having illegal and unlicensed weapons were quashed last July by an Indian High Court, but that decision was appealed and earlier this year they were imprisoned and also fined 3,000 rupees (£30).

The men are in the process of appealing that decision and that process was due to start on June 15, but has since been postponed until next month.

Mr Tindall’s devastated fiancee Jessica Kemp, 37, from Rawtenstall was due to marry him this week if he hadn’t been jailed. She was too devastated to speak when contacted by the Lancashire Telegraph but Joanne Tomlinson, whose brother John Armstrong is also one of the imprisoned British soldiers, spoke on her behalf.

Mrs Tomlinson said: “We’re still waiting for the appeal to start. On June 15 it was adjourned until the end of July.

“But it isn’t too clear at the moment. It’s currently at the High Court. Then there’s the Supreme Court that rules over that. The prosecution could appeal to the Supreme Court if we are successful with our appeal.

“We’ve got visiting privileges. I’ve been over there and visited twice. I did see Ray. We’re allowed to have two visits in the week we are there. We can also communicate by letter.

“There’s just so much uncertainty. That’s what’s killing them. On July 7 it’s 1,000 days since they were arrested.

“We have not had the support of the government until recently. We had a meeting in Carlisle with Sir Desmond Swayne who is the Minister of State for International Development and we’re hearing a lot of positive noises from the government and the Foreign Office. Sir Dominic Asquith who is the British High Commissioner to the India has also been to see them.”

Ms Kemp got engaged to Mr Tindall on New Year’s Eve via Skype.

The couple met online after Mr Tindall, who is from Chester, was released from prison after the original charges were quashed and have shared 45,000 messages on Facebook and Skyped for eight hours a day whist the former sniper was forced to stay in India awaiting the prosecution’s appeal.

The father-of-three also sent Christmas presents to Ms Kemp’s daughters, Jennifer, six, and Constance, three.

They were supposed to marry in Bolton-by-Bowland on June 21 and were also opening up a specialist butcher’s shop and had even secured a property in Waterfoot.