Welsh mother pleas to free her son

18 September 2014, 06:00 | Updated: 19 September 2014, 17:27

A mother from Blackwood is calling for her son to be released after he was locked up in an Indonesian prison.

Mathew Davies, from the Cefn Fforest area, has been imprisoned in the country’s capital Jakarta for around five weeks.

Yvonne Davies, Mathew’s mother said he was imprisoned because his ‘visa had run out’ and he ‘could not afford to get another.’

The Asian prison is well-known for in-house violence and drug problems.

Mathew had travelled to Indonesia last year to work for a computer firm.

Yvonne said she only found out about how serious Mathew’s situation was from a smuggled message she had passed onto her through social media.

She said:

"I didn’t realise how bad it was.

"I’ve never been through something like this before it's really upsetting.

"He’s sleeping on the floor, he has had money pinched off him and they’ve beat him.

"I just wish someone out there can help we have tried everything and no one has got back to us."

Yvonne has told Heart what she would say to her son if she could...

"I miss you. I really want you home and I love you."

A Wales Office spokesperson said: 

"This is obviously a deeply concerning and worrying situation for Mr Davies' family. 

"The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is providing consular assistance. 

"We have been assured that FCO officials will continue to monitor the case closely."