Andrew Dmytruk - Spain

He is like a 10-year-old... He can't understand why he is in jail, nor can I. - Doris O'Brien, Andrew's Mother

British national Andrew Dmytruk was arrested in Benidorm, Spain on suspicion of arson following a hotel fire in December 2010. Owing to complications from meningitis, which he suffered as a baby, Andrew has the mental age of a young child and has been heavily dependent on his aged mother throughout his adult life. Andrew was on holiday with his mother at the time of his arrest. He has been since detained from the date of his arrest, with no trial date in sight.

Given Andrew’s vulnerabilities, the ordeal of his extensive pre-trial detention has been predictably hard for him to bear. Andrew has been refusing much of the food given to him and, in March 2012, he attempted suicide. This has left him increasingly withdrawn and has caused his mother severe anxiety. Fair Trials International is concerned that Andrew has been denied bail on several occasions due to his foreign national status, and that he is finding it difficult to understand and cope with his situation due to his learning difficulties.

Update: Andrew accepted a plea bargain and was sentenced to just over four years in prison in December 2012, two years after he was first detained. In February 2013, Andrew was finally transferred back to the UK to be closer to his family.

Last updated: 14 March 2013