Stephen Sutton starts the 3rd day of his trial today. Stephen has been incarcerated in Marcos Paz prison for 2 1/2 years, his family have battled to obtain information about his case and well-being and have been unable to visit him due to the huge costs involved.
Stephen's family have been distraught with the lack of information, unaware if the letters and parcels sent were received by him. Although Stephen has had visits from the Consulate, he has had no other links to the outside world. He received his first visit almost two weeks ago from a representative of the Presencia de Dios Chuch in Buenos Aires. Stephen was overwhelmed and delighted at the visit.
Stephen's family are now in full contact with his legal representative, Dr Anibal Gilardenghi. It is a relief for the family to know that the details of Stephen's brain tumour are now being taken into account. It is also a relief to know that Stephen can receive any medication that he needs. Stephen arrived in court looking tidy and clean and expressed himself in a respectful and humble manner. He was met by Ana Maria Garcia an Argentinean national, who has worked tirelessly with the FPSS and Stephen's family. Ana Maria held Stephens hand during the trial and Stephen cried as he realised that his family had been fighting for him continuously over the years.
Stephen is being charged with drug smuggling, but has always denied any knowledge of the drugs. He has maintained that he was asked by a friend to deliver a quantity of gold. Stephen has been described as a very trusting and naive young man, by both family and friends. His former teacher recently said " he was always concerned about the well-being of others".
The FPSS would like to thank in particular Ana Maria Garcia and her sisters, Marta Blakely and Claudia Garcia for the many hours of work and dedication they have put into helping Stephen, his sister Ann and the Sutton family. We would also like to thank Mariela and Claudio from the Presencia de Dios Church in Buenos Aires.
FPSS Advocate
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