Women ‘were threatened by Colombian gangsters’

The two women held over suspected drug trafficking in Peru have claimed they were forced to act at gunpoint by Colombian gangsters, it was claimed last night.

A churchman who visited Michaella McCollum-Connolly and Melissa Reid the pair in a police holding centre in Lima claimed the two women had no choice but to follow orders.

Sean Walsh, an Irish-American archbishop with the Eastern Catholic Church, said: “They told me that there were a group of Colombians that actually took them at gunpoint and threatened them.”

The archbishop said the women were held for a while by the gang before being taken to Morocco and back again to Peru.

“I don’t know how that happened, and I don’t know how they got over to Peru.

“There’s no direct flight from Morocco, they go through Spain probably, but, if they threatened them in some way, that to me seems like a credible defence.”

The pair are due to appear in court today.

The archbishop, who has been working with prisoners in Peru for years, said he met with the two women for half an hour in the police offices of the holding centre.

“If they have been coerced or threatened as I think they are going to argue, then the fact that they physically had it in their possession may not mean that they were intentionally or wilfully doing it.

“If they were forced with threats on their life or something then they might not have gone through with this.”

The cleric said he believed the women would plead innocent on the basis of coercion.

He said he did not see the cells the women were staying in but believed they were being treated well, and said one of their chief concerns was for their families.

A former senior diplomat warned Peru was cracking down on crime and, if convicted, the women could face harsher new conditions ruling out parole.

Michael Russell, who recently retired as Ireland’s consul general in Lima, said the country’s government was under pressure to push through “draconian laws” to assert more law and order.

“This could be very bad timing for these girls if these laws come in,” he said. “There is a lot of pressure to stamp out crime with more police guards, tougher sentences — and that is across the board, not just for drug smugglers.”

Mr Russell, vice-president of the Irish Peruvian Chamber of Commerce, was due to meet the girls last night.

“First, I’m going to find out if they need anything, such as toiletries for personal hygiene.

“Secondly, I’m going to listen to their story and I’m going to tell them my experience with other prisoners in similar situations. Thirdly, and most importantly, I’m going to tell them they need a good lawyer. That is their priority.”

He said state-appointed lawyers have a reputation for failing to form strong defence cases.

He supported calls from Archbishop Walsh for financial support from abroad for the women.

“They’ll need it if they are to get a lawyer and that’s essential.”

Mr Russell said the archbishop was “a very honest man”, who has vast experience helping Irish and British prisoners in Peru.