Nick Dunn sentenced to five years in India jail

On his 30th birthday, a man convicted of weapons offences in India has had the chance to see his sister for the first time in two years.

Nick Dunn is one of the former British soldiers who found out their appeal had been rejected yesterday.

Lisa Dunn spoke to ITV News Tyne Tees moments after visiting her brother in an Indian jail.

It's been reported the former soldiers who were sentenced to five years in an Indian prison have been refused bail.

The men - who include Nick Dunn from Ashington, were told the court had rejected their application. They heard yesterday, the day before Nick Dunn turned 30 years old.

The court said the arguments for bail would only be heard during the main appeal hearing, scheduled for June.

From May 1-31 the courts are closed for summer vacation.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has released a statement following the sentencing of British men in India.

Nick Dunn from Ashington told his sister over the phone that he had been found guilty of weapons offences in India. The 28 year old has been sentenced to five years. Lisa Dunn said he sounded calm but added that he did break down.

Nick Dunn's sister Lisa has spoken to ITV News Tyne Tees following the news her brother has been found guilty of weapons offences in India. She told our correspondent Gregg Easteal that the family is in total shock.

The family of Nick Dunn from Ashington say an appeal will be lodged against his five year jail sentence for weapons offences in India. They say they will seek UK government help to allow him to serve out his sentences in Britain. It is understood that Nick Dunn and the other men have already been taken to jail to begin their sentences.

The family of Nick Dunn have confirmed that the 28 year old has been found guilty of weapons offences in India and has received a five year sentence.

In October 2013, he was arrested on a ship in Indian waters, accused of illegally possessing weapons. He was one of several British men working to protect other vessels from pirates.

A jury in India are due to return their verdict on Ashington man Nick Dunn.

In October 2013 the 28 year old was arrested on a ship in Indian waters, accused of illegally possessing weapons.

He was one of several British men working to protect other vessels from pirates.

The family have set up a Facebook page to keep family and friends updated as they try to bring Nick home.

Their story so far

OCTOBER 2013 Six British men are taken into custody in India after what they thought was a routine paperwork check aboard their security vessel Seaman Guard Ohio turned into them all being arrested.

Their company AdvanFort has always insisted the men were working to provide protection to other ships from pirate attacks, but the Indian courts pressed weapons charges on the Brits.

Among them are Nick Dunn from Ashington, Paul Towers from York and Nicholas Simpson from Catterick.

The other men are Billy Irving, from Scotland, Ray Tindall from Chester, and John Armstrong, from Wigton, Cumbria,

Police seized 35 automatic weapons and nearly 5,700 rounds of ammunition from the security guards on the ship, a police official said.

The men were charged with illegal possession of weapons and ammunition and entering India's territorial waters without permission, he said.

DECEMBER 2013 The case of the six men, held in prison since their arrests, is raised in the House of Commons for the first time.

The Foreign Secretary William Hague told the house that David Cameron had mentioned the case to the Indian Prime Minister and the country's foreign minister.

MARCH 18th 2014 Lisa Dunn from Ashington, the sister of Nick, is joined by Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery as she delivers a petition to 10 Downing Street in London calling for his release. She had collected 100,000 signiatures.

JUNE 3RD 2014 After being held in prison for five months, in what they described as "squalid" conditions, five of the men, including Nick Dunn and Nocholas Simpson, are released on bail by a judge.

JULY 10TH 2014 A judge in India rules that the cases against the six men are dropped because of insufficient evidence against them. They cannot leave the country though. Their passports are withheld pending an appeal by the police against this decision. The men have no money or resources and will be supported by their families back home for the foreseeable future.

AUGUST 22ND 2014 "Please Prime Minister, get us on a plane and home to our families" is the direct appeal to David Cameron from THE six former soldiers still being held in India, more than six weeks after weapons charges against them were dropped. The foreign office says it is continuing to raise the men's plight at the highest levels in India.

MARCH 11TH 2015 Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond arrives in India this morning amid calls for him to help secure the release of former paratrooper Nick Dunn. The government insists that the Foreign Secretary raised their case with his Indian counterpart.

MAY 17TH 2015 The case is scheduled to be heard at the Supreme Court, but is adjourned again.

JULY 1ST 2015 The Supreme Court tells the men's lawyer that the appeal by the police has succeeded, and that the men will go on trial after all. No date is set, but they are told that the trial will open within six months.