Fry makes mercy plea for death row Brit

Stephen Fry has reportedly urged the Chinese government to show mercy on a British man who is facing execution for drug smuggling.

Fry, 52, said that he believes Akmal Shaikh, who was arrested at an airport in north-west China with 4kg (8.8lb) of heroin, was duped into carrying the luggage because he suffers from a mental illness.

Shaikh, 53, faces execution should a pending appeal be unsuccessful.

PA quotes Fry as saying: "I wouldn't be standing here pleading clemency for someone if I didn't think there was a real case for mercy. A real case where China can demonstrate that it does understand that mental illness can provoke people into doing things that are otherwise intolerable.

"Akmal is a very delusional figure. He has a history of quite extraordinary and perplexing behaviour, mixing grandiosity and mental delusion in a very characteristic way for those who are severely affected by bipolar disorder."

Fry, who suffers from the illness to a lesser extent, said that the issue is "very important for the world to be aware of".