CAMPAIGNERS fighting to prove the innocence of a teenager jailed in
Bangkok for attempted drug smuggling said yesterday they were not
disappointed she was left off an amnesty list announced by the Queen of
Thailand.
Patricia Cahill, 19, was sentenced to 18 years in prison after she and
Karyn Smith were seized at Bangkok airport two years ago with 26 kilos
of heroin, worth nearly #4m, packed into their luggage.
Smith, 20, of Solihull, West Midlands, was sentenced to 25 years.
Keith Gooch, who is campaigning with Cahill's parents Paddy and
Frances to win her freedom, said an amnesty implied the person was still
guilty.
''Although an amnesty would be nice, what we really want is a
pardon,'' he said.
Mr and Mrs Cahill, originally from Ireland but living in West Heath,
Birmingham, are currently targeting Irish pubs, clubs and community
centres in a letter-writing campaign aimed at proving their daughter's
innocence.
Briton Karl Maxwell-Smith, from Ashford, Kent, jailed for 100 years
for the murder of his Thai wife, was freed yesterday after five years by
Queen Sirikit, who grants amnesties each year on her birthday.
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