An Australian grandmother will remain behind bars after she was found guilty of trying to smuggle 2kg of methamphetamine into Japan.
Donna Nelson, 58, was sentenced on Wednesday by a panel of three judges and six members of the public in Chiba, east of Tokyo.
The Perth grandmother has already served 430 days behind bars since she was arrested by customs officials at Narita Airport in January 2023 after methamphetamine was found hidden in her double-bottom suitcase.
Nelson was seen hanging with her head and sobbing as she was given a six-year sentence and a $10,400 fine.
The former Greens candidate has always maintained her innocence and claimed to be the victim of an online love scam with an alleged owner of a Nigerian fashion brand, who paid for her flights to Laos to pick up her suitcase and then travel to Tokyo.
But he did not show up at the chosen meeting place and Nelson was arrested on the spot.
She was later accused of violating Japan’s strict customs and stimulant control laws.
Prosecutors acknowledged the scam but pushed for the court to hand down a 10-year prison sentence and a $31,000 fine, arguing that Nelson should have known not to carry the suitcase.
Perth grandmother Donna Nelson (pictured) has been sentenced to six years in prison in Japan after being found guilty of smuggling methamphetamine into the country.
The judges also accepted and sympathized with Nelson for committing the act as part of the scam, noting that the sentence was lighter than others for the same crime.
A member of Nelson’s legal team said they were disappointed with the “unreasonable” decision and vowed to continue fighting the charges.
“We need to talk to Donna, but we will fight until the end, until she gets freedom,” lawyer Rie Nishida told reporters outside the court.
“She is devastated, but she is a strong woman, so we will discuss and prepare for the next fight.”
Nelson’s daughter, Kristal Hilaire, said six years in a Japanese prison far from home and her family was by no means a “lenient” sentence.
The 58-year-old claims she was the victim of a love scam with an alleged owner of a Nigerian fashion brand who tricked her into unknowingly taking her suitcase to Japan (pictured, Nelson).
Several other family members who had attended previous court dates and seen Nelson for the first time since his arrest nearly two years ago have returned home.
Nelson’s family has launched a GoFundMe to help “in our fight to free our mother and bring her home where she belongs.”
“Our mother had no knowledge of this and we maintain that she is a victim of a crime and not a criminal,” the fundraising page reads.
“We cannot say anything more about this case at this time as we consider preparing for an appeal, but we are devastated by this verdict and will not stop fighting for our mother.”
Daughters Kristal Hilaire (pictured centre) told media outside court that the family is preparing to appeal the sentence and bring their mother back to Perth.
They are seeking $20,000 to help pay for travel to and from Japan to stay in contact with Nelson and “keep his spirits up as we fight for his release.”
“Family is everything to Mom and she has been separated from us for too long,” the GoFundMe reads.
Nelson was previously the Green Party candidate for the Western Australian seat of Pearce in the 2022 federal election.
She was later appointed president of a Western Australian Aboriginal health service and seen as an important Indigenous leader for her local community.