Australian actor Karm Gilespie to be immediately executed in China if last-ditch appeal fails
A former Blue Heelers star is facing immediate execution in China after he was convicted of smuggling 7.5kg of drugs in his luggage.
Australian actor Karm Gilespie is facing immediate execution in China if his last-ditch appeal to overturn his drug trafficking conviction fails.
Gilespie, who had a small role in Blue Heelers in the 90s before later giving up acting, was arrested in secret in 2013 after border force officers discovered 7.5kg of methamphetamine in his luggage at Baiyun Airport.
He’s been detained in a cell in Guangzhou, southern China, ever since.
Despite insisting his innocence, the Ballarat-raised actor was sentenced to death by lethal injection or firing squad in June 2020 under China’s tough anti-drugs policy.
His sentencing in the Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court was the first time news of Gilespie’s detainment in China became public knowledge.
He filed an instant appeal of the conviction in Guangzhou Higher People’s Court, with a decision still yet to be released more than five years later.
Now, per the Herald Sun, the 61-year-old will be executed immediately if his appeal isn’t successful.
Chinese criminal lawyer Jin Ling told the publication convictions in China were rarely overturned, adding the lengthy delay could be down to the Covid pandemic halting proceedings, though it was also possible a verdict was still yet to be found.
“There is usually a death penalty review after the appeal verdict involving the Supreme People’s Court conducting a special review and approval process for cases sentenced to death,” Ms Ling told the outlet.
“Judges reviewing the death penalty are very cautious, especially when involving foreign citizens – the result will rarely be different.”
News.com.au has contacted the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) for comment.
Ms Ling claimed Gilespie was in the same prison as Australian-New Zealand citizen Peter Gardner, who was also arrested at Baiyun airport in 2014 with his then-girlfriend, Kalynda Davis, and charged with allegedly trafficking 30kg of methamphetamine.
Davis, the daughter of NSW Police officer Larry Davis, was later released without charge after then-Foreign Affairs minister Julie Bishop intervened, while Gardner was found guilty and sentenced to death.
A staff member from the Australian Consulate-General in Guangzhou told Herald Sun they aren’t permitted to release any information about Australian prisoners without approval from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We visit them on a regular basis and forward all the updates we get back to the DFAT in Australia,” a statement read.
After hitting the road with his own Banjo Paterson show following his stint on Blue Heelers, Gilespie quit acting in 2009 before switching to property investment.
It’s understood Gilespie ended up in China as part of his foray into motivational speaking.
