A FYLDE sailor, still serving a Moroccan jail sentence after missing out on a mass royal pardon which released four Britons, may soon be released on parole.

Paul Smith, 38, who lives in Fleetwood, was jailed for 10 years by the North African authorities in 1996 after a quantity of cannabis was found sealed in the hull of the boat he was working aboard.

After serving seven years in a jail in Rebat, the seaman, who maintains he is innocent, was transferred to Wandsworth Prison in February after going on hunger strike over poor conditions in Morocco.

As reported in on May 15, a legal loophole meant that he was not among 10,000 prisoners -- four of whom were British -- who were granted freedom by King Mohammed VI to celebrate the birth of his son, Prince Hassan, earlier this year.

Speaking exclusively to The Citizen last month, the director of human rights group Fair Trials Abroad, Stephen Jakobi, told how he was "shocked and appalled" that the British government had not intervened in Mr Smith's case.

Mr Jakobi was reported as saying: "Morocco is notorious for jailing people on drugs related charges and while Paul may have received some sort of trial, it was certainly not a fair one.

He added: "Following the release of so many prisoners it's shameful that the British Foreign Office have not made a top level effort to secure his Mr Smith's release."

After confronting the Foreign Office with Mr Jakobi's accusations, The Citizen were told: "It is not the place of the Foreign Office to get involved in this matter."

But a spokesman for Fair Trials Abroad, claims that Mr Smith may soon be eligible for parole.

He said: "Paul is currently eligible for parole and, because of this, our efforts are on hold until the relevant procedures are followed.

"Our first priority is to get Paul released but the fight to clear his name doesn't stop there."