The family of the cage-fighting robber Lee Murray are pleading for his release – with the Brit suffering from “serious health problems” after 19 years in Moroccan prison.
It’s been exactly two decades since the UK’s biggest cash robbery.
Several suspects remain at large, while the fighter has been left to rot in a cell.
READ MORE: Brave security guard assaulted trying to stop brazen shoplifters stealing from Greggs
A legal expert has argued he has “served more time than some anti-British terrorists”.
Lee “Lightning” Murray has been locked up for the last 19 years, thousands of miles away from his family – and spending the majority of his sentence in solitary confinement.
The now 48-year-old is said to be struggling with “serious health problems” that require proper medical care, as reported by Need To Know.
His wife Nicola Murray, backed by the rest of the family, is now pleading with the government to secure the mixed martial arts fighter’s release and to return him home.
Nicola said: “Lee is suffering serious health problems after 19 years in harsh conditions.
“He’s never even held his granddaughter.
“Other prisoners with far more serious convictions have been pardoned.
“Why is Lee always left out? We are begging the UK government to help us bring him home before it’s too late.”
Lee, from Plumstead, south east London, is currently serving a 25-year sentence over the infamous £53m Tonbridge Securitas raid in 2006.
Twenty years on from the crime, £32m of the Bank of England’s stolen money remains hidden somewhere.
Five of the gang involved were captured quickly.
But Murray and lifelong friend and fellow UFC fighter, Paul Allen, left the UK and trekked through Europe.
The duo attempted to start new lives in Morocco, where Lee’s father was born.
However, the UK government pushed the Moroccan authorities to prosecute him abroad for the crime committed on UK soil.
In 2010, he was sentenced to 10 years inside which was later increased to 25 years after an appeal – during which Lee reportedly had no lawyer.
After spending almost 20 years inside, currently in the town of Tiflet, Lee has reflected on his criminal past and is now begging to be freed.
On a call from prison, Lee Murray said: “I’ve watched my children grow up in photos.
“I’ve never even held my granddaughter.
“I’ve served my time. I just want a chance to come home and rebuild my life.”
Radha Stirling, CEO of Due Process International and founder of Detained in Dubai, is now helping the family with their plea.
She believes that the agreement between the UK government and Morocco was unlawful and “deeply troubling”.
Radha Stirling said: “Lee was not extradited through normal legal channels.
“The standard, recognised and transparent mechanism would have been an extradition request from the UK to Morocco, with judicial oversight and due process safeguards.
“Instead, the UK applied significant diplomatic pressure on Morocco to prosecute him there for a crime committed on British soil.
“That approach was unprecedented and deeply troubling.
“Lee Murray has now served more than many individuals convicted of far graver offences.
“In the UK, life sentences often result in significantly shorter actual custodial terms than the time he has already endured.
“Terrorism offences have seen offenders released after serving far less. The comparison is stark.
“If the UK was able to exert diplomatic pressure on Morocco to prosecute Lee Murray, it can now use that same diplomatic influence to advocate for clemency, compassionate release or repatriation.
“Political will should not operate in only one direction.
“It is time to bring him home.”
READ MORE: Beauty queen zapped by power cable while dancing on carnival float
