Advertiser and I imes \fB‘ e'€Mberoe M ' i Ifliursday, October 21st; 2004 No. 6,171 ; news and views from We Centre of the. Kingdom S"S.V.'
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Christopher is set to be released from Thai jail
Exclusive by Faiza Af zaal
A RIBBLE VALLEY man who was sen tenced to 16 years in an overcrowded Thai jail [or drugs offences is set to be repatriated to
the UK next summer. Former Queen Elizabeth Grammar School pupil
Christopher Egan (34) has been granted an amnesty to mark the 72nd birthday of Queen Sirikit of Thailand.
. ^ The move is also because of Christopher s con
tinuing good behaviour while inside jail and because of the numerous testimonial sent from the
UK by his family and friends. This means Christopher, who is serving four
years for narcotics offences, will be one of four out
of 27 non-Thai prisoners in Chiang Mai Central Prison to have their sentences reduced. Christopher, who was arrested in the city of Chi
ang Mai on suspicion of narcotics offences on February 24th, should be repatriated to the UK between May and September next year. Earlier this week, his relieved Whalley parents,
Tony and Joan Egan, revealed their delight at the prospect of see their son set free from the horrifying Imng conditions in the prison, which Christopher has described as “a living hell.” . . The couple said that they had initially thought
the amnesty would not be available to prisoners serving a jail sentence for narcotics offences, and Christopher was least expecting to benefit. Speaking exclusively to the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times, Mr Egan said; “We have no words to
describe how we feel right now. “All we can say is that we are over the moon to
hear that we will be reunited with Christopher next year and, hopefully, he will spend Christmas 2005
CHRISTOPHER EGAN with his family and friends for the first time in
^'According to Mr Egan, under the amnesty rules, when Christopher returns to England, he will have to serve approximately three months in a low-cate gory prison to complete part of his remaining sen-
t)6nC6 As reported last month, Christopher was jailed j
after allegedly being caught with eight amphetamine tablets in his luggage and marked
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notes. Ironically, at the time of his arrest, Christo pher, who was born and brought up in Mellor, lyas due to return home to see his family after having worked for seven years as a university lecturer close
to Thailand’s border with Burma. The former English teacher’s punishment was
immediately reduced from 16 years to four years on pleading guilty, although until this day, Christopher claims this was only to avoid a lengthy sentence and he still categorically denies
the offence.
■ Mr and Mrs Egan are now preparing to tly to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand to see their son
• ^ t, +
before Christmas. Every year before Christmas, Thai authorities
allow the relatives an “inside visit”, a.t which they are able to be in the same room as their loved ones. Retired accountant Mr Egan explained: “Every
time we have been to see Christopher since Febru ary, we have only been able to talk to him through
a glass window and through bars. “We have not been able to hug, touch or comfort
him any way. We are now applying for an inside visit and don’t know how he will react when he sees us. Previously on seeing us he has just broken down
■in floods of tears.” Looking ahead, Mr Egan, who was national
treasurer for Round Table, commented: “Now that we can see light at the end of the tunnel, we are extremely happy and so is Christopher. “Currently, we don’t'have any firm plans for his
future. We just want him to be home and want to pve him time to get his life together. After all, he has been through a lot.”
. . . . • The dramatic impact the Clitheroe Advertiser
and Times has made on Christopher’s life, see story on page 3.
Jobs are to go at Ultraframe
CLITHEROE company Ultraframe this week announced th a t i t intends to
streamline its UK business. As a result, the company confirmed
that a small number of jobs will be at risk, but firmly emphasised that the number would be "very small.” Ultraframe, the UK’s leading manu facturer of conservatory systems, cur
rently has a workforce of 638. During recent months, the Salthill-
based company has seen shares plunge to record lows. However, the mood this week was positive, as a spokesman said it had been a time of uncertainty, adding: "Hopefully, that is all over now and we
can go forward." The streamlining is part of a wider
operational review, as Ultraframe reshapes and restructures its organisa tion to focus on meeting the needs of its customers.
“Ultraframe continues to invest m its ,
Clitheroe plant and in driving efficiencies both through technology and process improvements. We also want to empow er our employees a t every level to improve the speed of decision making and with it customer service. Our new structure will reflect this,” said UK man aging director Vanda Murray. “Our industry is changing rapidly, as
are the requirements of our customers, and we have to recognise and adapt our organisation to that. This review will ensure that we mil emerge as a stronger
business. “Our customers’ needs are oi
paramount importance and it is in their interests that we are in the best possible shape and structure to meet the chal
lenges ahead”. The exact number of job losses should
be known by the end of next week.
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