A NEILSTON woman said she has been left “crushed” after her fiancé was denied bail from an Indian jail.

Billy Irving, 37, was jailed in January after an Indian court ruled he and six other former British soldiers had entered the country’s waters with illegal weapons.

He was sentenced to five years in prison, however his family at home held out hope that he would be released on bail pending a June date for an appeal against the sentence.

His heartbroken fiancée and young son William, who is nearly a year old, now hold out little hope of seeing him before the tot starts school.

Yvonne McHugh broke the news on a Facebook page that is used to keep Billy’s supporters up to date with the latest information.

She said: “Bail has been rejected; we now have to wait until June 1 for the main appeal.

“That’s at least another four months locked up in that hell hole, with no communications with family and friends.

“Their lives and freedom stolen from them, and all for what?

“This verdict has left me with little hope of getting Billy back before William starts school and has left me completely crushed.”

Indian authorities swooped on the US firm’s ship, MV Seaman Guard Ohio on October 12, 2013, claiming it had strayed into Indian waters and that the men on board did not have the correct documentation for their guns and ammunition.

During his first stint in prison, Billy ended up needing hospital treatment after his weight plummeted due to poor nutrition and contracting the stomach bugs which run rife.

And during the Indian prime minister’s visit to the UK late last year, David Cameron discussed the case in private, pushing for a swift resolution after a petition bearing 150,000 signatures was handed in during Narendra Modi’s visit to London.

Kirsten Oswald MP has met with the Foreign Office Minister, Hugo Swire, to press for UK Government action in relation to Neilston man, Billy Irving, who is in prison in Chennai, India.

Oswald commented: “Billy was simply doing his job. To find himself in jail, far from home, for doing what he was employed to do – safeguard others – is devastating."

Anyone who wishes to follow the situation can do so by visiting the Bring Billy Back Facebook page.