Documents 'prove' Indian prisoners weren't carrying illegal weapons
Nick Dunn from Ashington and Nick Simpson from Catterick are both in prison in India, but it's thought a new document could help release them.
The family of a North East man stuck in an Indian prison say a government document could be the key to getting him released.
Nick Dunn from Ashington and Nick Simpson from Catterick are currently among six British men serving time for firearms offences.
The men were working for a US firm protecting ships in pirate-infested waters.
Their vessel was seized and the men and the men were arrested.
Now a document provided by the UK government could hold the key to Nick and the men's release.
It shows that the guns carried by the men were licensed and legal to use in India.
The document was presented to the judge during the trial, but Nick's sister Lisa Dunn believes he may have misunderstood it.
She said: "To think that this vital document, this vital piece of evidence is one of the main reasons why my brother is serving a five-year sentence for absolutely nothing.
"It just exacerbates our trauma.
"In Nick's letter he said he literally could have wept when he saw the evidence, because he genuinely believes this is the key to his release.
"On one hand you almost want to scream to the world and say 'I told you, we said he was innocent', yet is it going to make the case move any quicker?
"Is it going to immediately release him from that hell hole he's living in? No."
The document will play a role in the appeal case being lodged against the mens sentences.
The appeal was due to start on July 5th, but has been set back by a boycott on the court.