Trucker in bid to help drivers May 27 2005
By The Evening Chronicle
Innocent trucker John Vasey, who spent 14 months in a French jail before freed by a judge, is on a mission to save other drivers falling victim to the same fate.
The 44-year-old was jailed after £2.5m worth of cannabis in sealed pallets was found on his truck.
After his arrest he protested his innocence and claimed he was the fall guy for an international drugs gang. The case never went to trial after a judge ruled there was no evidence to convict him and freed him in May last year.
John, of Rickleton Village, Washington, was the first UK trucker to be released after being arrested by the French for carrying an illegal cargo across the border from Spain.
Now he is the face for the Justice for Drivers organisation set up to help other truckers arrested on the continent. As he waits for official confirmation from France his name has been cleared he has vowed to help others UK drivers who end up in jail. John is also backing the Fair Trials Abroad watchdog group which fights for Britons unfairly treated by foreign governments.
sorce icnewcastle.co.uk