Speaking for the first time from inside Kanda jail, to the BBC, Ian Stillman made the call for official help after his appeal against his 10-year sentence failed last month.

The experienced charity worker, from Berkshire, said he had not expected to become a victim of the "negative" side of Indian society.

He spoke of the frustration in being unable to communicate properly with police and officials when he was arrested.

'Unfair' trial

The 51-year-old was sentenced last June for possessing cannabis after being arrested in the Himalayas.

He was stopped, while travelling in a taxi, at a police roadblock late at night.

Later, at a police station, he said he was shown a bag that is alleged to have contained 20 kilos of cannabis and told it had been found in his car.

But he maintains the drugs were not his and that he is innocent.

Family members have said it would have been impossible for him to carry such a package because he has difficulty balancing after one of his legs was amputated following a motorcycle accident.