Fears grow Victorian actor Karm Gilespie’s death sentence is politically motivated
Victorian actor Karm Gilespie’s shock death sentence after he was allegedly caught fleeing China seven years ago with 7.5kg of ice, has sparked suspicions the timing of the punishment is politically motivated.
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A Victorian actor who was allegedly caught fleeing China seven years ago with 7.5kg of ice has now been sentenced to death, with suspicions the timing of the punishment is politically motivated.
Karm Gilespie, a former Blue Heelers actor, was sentenced last Wednesday after trying to leave China with the ice in late 2013.
The verdict, announced three days after it was handed down, has horrified Australian authorities, human rights officials and Mr Gilespie’s friends.
Supporters posted on social media the 55-year-old had been set-up and duped into carrying the drugs in gifts to bring back home.
Australians living in China have now been urged to return home and businesses are being told to find other markets amid fears the former actor and wealth adviser was only sentenced now due to rising tensions between Australia and China.
ASPI executive director Peter Jennings said the timing of the sentencing was of particular concern given Mr Gilespie had been locked away for so long.
He said the pattern of China arresting foreigners and holding them without charge for prolonged periods was like “hostage-taking”.
“They will hang on to people either because they have a dispute with the country concerned … or else they are almost looking for an opportunity to pressure a country,” Mr Jennings said.
“The timing of this is something that is connected to the broader political dispute between China and Australia.
“The Chinese legal system is in every possible way an instrument of the Chinese Communist party. ”
He said it was time for Australians living in China to come home and businesses should move into other parts of Asia because China had proven it was willing to go after foreigners. “Leave when you can,” Mr Jennings said.
“These are going to be dangerous and difficult times and Australians would be smart to get back home if they can.”
It comes as Gilespie’s family expressed distress over the shock sentencing.
In a statement issued through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Gilespie’s family asked friends and former colleagues to stop speculating.
“Our family is very saddened by the situation,” the family said.
“We will not be making any public comment and ask that the media respects our privacy at this difficult time.
“We also request that friends and acquaintances of Karm refrain from speculating on his current circumstances, which we do not believe assists his case.”
FRIENDS SHOCKED, SADDENED BY DEATH PENALTY
Former colleagues and friends told the Herald Sun they had no idea Mr Gilespe had been locked away in a Chinese prison for the past seven years.
They said his frequent use of social media had stopped in 2013.
Friend Paul Dunn said Karm was duped into bringing some gifts back to Melbourne by some Chinese people who promised to invest in a project he was involved in.
“Those gifts (handbags) had the meth sewn into the bags unknown to Karm.”
Roger James Hamilton, his former teacher, described the disappearance as “strange”.
“Knowing Karm, and knowing the love he had (and has) for his wife and his children, this is not a man that deserves to lose his life,” Mr Hamilton posted on social media.
“This is not right. This is not fair. This is not humanity”
Another longtime friend of Mr Gillespie, Jill Parris, said his imprisonment is “inhumane”.
“He was a straightforward person, very honest — to a fault,” Ms Parris said.
“Not only has this loveable person been imprisoned, he has been given the death penalty without legal representation or any justice given on his behalf.
“This is inhumane. Bring my friend home. He belongs home.”
Ms Parris said she last spoke to Karm in December 2013 before he completely dropped off the radar.
Posting to social media, she said Mr Gillespie was “over the moon in love with a new woman” at that time and was looking forward to a trip to Thailand with the new love interest.
She has not heard from him since.
“It was very out of character for Karm to not contact me, or call or write, we were always in contact,” she said.
“When he didn’t return the phone call or check in, I became extremely alarmed.”
Ms Parris said she “doesn’t believe” the allegations he is facing and it has come as a shock to her and her family learning the news from the internet.
“I haven’t slept,” she told the Today show.
“I am extremely shocked. I just want my friend to be safe and home in Australia.
Another friend also claimed Mr Gilespie was “duped” into carrying bags full of drugs. “He was over there meeting investors for a deal,” he said.
“They asked him to carry presents back to their partners in Australia which included handbags. The drugs were in the handbags. It was a set up.”
‘REMINDER TO AUSTRALIANS’
Federal Government sources told the Herald Sun the verdict had not surprised them but that the timing could not be ruled out as being linked to the ongoing aggressions from Beijing.
Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said on yesterday: “This is a reminder to all Australians, as is often the case when these sorts of consular cases come up, that Australian laws don’t apply overseas, that other countries have much harsher penalties, particularly in relation to matters such as drug trafficking that can come to the use of the death penalty.”
Trade tensions with China have been escalating over recent months following Australia’s call for an independent inquiry into the origin and handling of the coronavirus outbreak.
China leads the world in numbers of executions every year, according to Amnesty International campaigner Rose Kulak.
She said thousands of people, both Chinese and foreign nationals, are killed every year in China – but exact numbers were unknown because they are considered state secrets.
Mr Gilespie grew up in Bradvale in the state’s west before moving for university and then work.
He was a successful actor across state and TV productions. In the early 2000s, Gilespie turned his hand to property and finance, stating on his website that he wanted to help other people make a difference.
Mr Gilespie was taken into custody on New Year’s Eve in 2013 at Guangzhou airport, allegedly attempting to leave the country with the drugs.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne was “saddened and deeply concerned” about Mr Gilespie’s sentencing.
“We will continue to provide Mr Gilespie with consular assistance,” she said. “Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.”
Premier Daniel Andrews said: “We oppose, deplore and condemn the death penalty wherever it is applied.”
Under Chinese law, Mr Gilespie has 10 days to lodge an appeal.
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