A PROFESSIONAL boxer from Harwich will fight to raise money for a friend who has been sentenced to five years in an Indian prison.

John Wheatley will donate a portion of the earnings from his next fight to help John Armstrong, a former paratrooper turned anti-piracy guard.

Mr Armstrong was on board the Seaman Guard Ohio with five other British men in October 2013, guarding the ship through a high-risk part of the Indian Ocean.

They were intercepted by the Indian coastguard and their weapons and ammunition were seized.

The six men were arrested and interrogated for six days, with the authorities claiming the ship had been illegally sailing in Indian waters.

They suffered six months in Puzhal Prison in Chennai, before bail was granted by India’s High Court in April 2014 and the charges were quashed on July 10.

But the Indian police appealed against the decision and after a year, during which the men were not allowed to leave the country, the appeal was upheld.

Mr Armstrong, of Cumbria, and his colleagues were found guilty of weapons charges.

Harwich boxer Mr Wheatley served in 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment with Mr Armstrong in Afghanistan, forming a friendship during basic training.

Mr Wheatley traded his career in the Army to pursue professional boxing, and has decided to donate money from his next fight to the battle to see his old friend returned home.

“The crime he has been arrested for, charged with and found guilty of is exactly the thing he was there to protect against,” said Mr Wheatley.

“It is absolutely ridiculous. “If this had been in Britain with a jury, it would have been thrown out or the company would have been found

accountable.”

Mr Wheatley, who started boxing aged 15 at Harwich Boxing Club, had been in touch with Mr Armstrong while he was on bail, and said the whole family were confident of a not-guilty verdict. The guilty verdict stunned Mr Armstrong’s family, and his sister Joanne decided to act – launching a campaign to appeal the decision.

“I watched a video of John’s sister speaking about the situation and got choked up – everyone really just wants him home,” added Mr

Wheatley.

“I know what it is like to be away from home but this is another level – the uncertainty and conditions he is facing are appalling.

“He sleeps on the concrete floor and is given a bucket of water to drink from. He hasn’t been paid since the day he was arrested so the money will go towards living costs and helping with an appeal.

“It’s a well-paid job when you’re out there. If everything had gone the way it was supposed to, he would have come out with maybe enough to get a house and settle down.

“By the time he finishes in prison, he will come out penniless on top of everything else.”

Mr Wheatley will fight at Braintree Leisure Centre, in Panfield Lane, on May 14.