TWO men jailed for a crime they say they did not commit could be free in seven days.

Graham Huckerby, from Prestwich, and Bury man James Power, will appeal against their conviction at the Royal Court of Appeal in London next Thursday and Friday.

Both men are said to be "optimistic" about the hearing which could quash their 14-year jail sentence for being part of a robbery.

Security guard Huckerby, of Clifton Road, was found guilty of being the inside man in a £6.6 million armed robbery of his Securicor van in 2002, while Power, of Hornby Street, was convicted of being his handler.

Huckerby's sister, Mrs Susan Kelly, said: "We are hoping for Graham to come home and are cautiously optimistic. We hope the Court of Appeal will find the conviction unsafe and the conviction will effectively be quashed.

"But at the end of the day we are in the lap of the gods and it is 50/50. As far as we are concerned Graham should not be in prison in the first place, so anything could happen."

Scott Lomax, a campaigner for Power, said: "James Power's conviction is a joke that should concern everyone in Britain because it shows how easily people can be imprisoned.

"If there is any justice in this country then his conviction will be quashed. I look forward to his release, and the release of his co-accused Graham Huckerby, in the very near future."