Exclusive: Australian Troy Birthisel has languished inside a Philippines prison for a decade, maintaining his innocence, waiting for his trial to be completed.
On Friday, 10 years and four days after he was arrested on suspicion of trafficking sex workers, the Queensland father and mining executive finally got a verdict: guilty.
Birthisel was sentenced to life, meaning the 54-year-old is now staring at another 30 years in Lapu-Lapu jail in Cebu province, where he has been jailed since 2013.
“It was shock, total shock,” Birthisel told 9news.com.au over telephone from the prison.
“I really thought I was going home on Friday.”
Birthisel, originally from Gladstone, claimed prosecutors had “convicted me on nothing” and said his life had been devastated by waiting 10 years for a judicial outcome.
That painful wait, he said, contravened his human right to a speedy trial.
He said he planned to appeal the verdict, a process that could take 18 months.
In October 2013 Birthisel was detained at Mactan-Cebu International Airport on suspicion of trafficking sex workers from the Philippines.
He was detained along with his Filipino girlfriend and six other Filipino women, while the group was attempting to board a plane to Singapore.
Birthisel said he had been asked to escort the women to Singapore, where they had hoped to secure jobs in the hospitality sector.
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Prosecutors later reduced the charges of sex trafficking to illegal recruitment involving economic sabotage; an accusation Birthisel has denied.
According to court documents, four of the women Birthisel had travelled with later denied in affidavits that the Australian was engaged in any illegal activity.
They had initially signed complaints to the contrary, but in subsequent retractions said they had signed because officials had confiscated their passports and they were afraid.
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“I was 99 per cent sure (the verdict) would be in my favour,” Birthisel said.
“It was a kick in the guts, but I’ve got to keep my chin up and keep going.
“I’m not going to give up the fight.”
Birthisel said his case, plagued by countless adjournments and delays, had taken so long to conclude that one of his key witnesses had died.
Birthisel’s girlfriend Lovely Jane Modina was also given a life sentence.
The pair were also fined 2 million pesos ($48,000).
