A BRITISH backpacker has been granted approval to serve the rest of his jail sentence in the UK.

Days after a mother told the News Shopper the foreign office had informed her it could take between 18 months and two years for her son to be transferred to a UK prison, the British backpacker has been granted approval by Indian authorities to serve the remainder of his sentence in the UK.

Patrick Malluzzo was arrested at Mumbai airport in January 2004 while waiting for a flight, after Indian police found a bag containing cannabis and a ticket with his name on it on a train in November 2003.

After waiting four years for an appeal and then losing it, the family decided to concentrate their efforts on getting Mr Malluzzo transferred to a UK prison.

Teresa Malluzzo, aged 62, who has not seen her son for seven years, said: "It is not the outcome we wanted for the case, but our priorities had to change. It would have taken too long to get to the Supreme Court, up to three years and by then he would have completed his sentence. It would also have cost an enormous amount.

"It's bitter-sweet, a small victory. Now our priority is to get him back and get his health sorted.

"We don't know when he will be back, but we hope it will be before Christmas and we can see him after seven long years. It has always been a waiting game. We hope that the Ministry of Justice will push the boat out and it will be sooner rather than later."