THE sister of an autistic teenager who is being detained in Japan on drug smuggling charges believes her brother was manipulated by gangs before he left the UK.
Sean Stephenson, 18, from Charlton, London, was arrested at Tokyo airport last month with a suitcase containing more than 10kg of methamphetamine.
Ami LeeSean Stephens, 18, is being held in Japan[/caption]
Ami LeeThe teenager has autism and had never been abroad alone before[/caption]
Ami LeeHis sister says he was adamant he wanted to go on the trip[/caption]
Ami Lee and her family believes Sean has been pressured and exploited by heartless underworld figures.
He has multiple physical and mental health challenges and was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged five.
Though legally an adult, Sean has a much younger mental age and is eager to make new friends – something his family say was taken advantage of.
They claim he was groomed on UK soil before he was pressured into travelling, first to Portugal and then on to Toronto for five days.
Sean then travelled to Tokyo and he was arrested on June 21 after he was found with a locked suitcase containing the methamphetamine.
Ami last saw her younger brother on June 14 at her daughter’s birthday party.
Since then, she has been fighting to find out what’s happening to her brother nearly 6,000 miles away and has started a crowdfunding appeal for £14,000 to pay for his legal fees.
“My mind is a total blur- I haven’t slept now for coming up two weeks,” she said.
“My life is really hectic, I’m looking after three children and I’ve now got to worry about my brother – I’m on the phone to Tokyo throughout the night.
“He’s on no communication so I can’t get any contact anymore – I’m beyond worried now.”
Having never travelled abroad before, let alone by himself, Sean’s disappearance stunned the entire family.
“He kept saying he’s going to go to Canada but we didn’t really think much of it,” Lee said.
“I think until you’ve got a child that’s autistic, you don’t actually understand where I’m coming from with that.”
Sean then suddenly vanished overseas on Father’s Day morning.
Lee said: “He had never travelled alone before, and it was clear from our contact with him that he was frightened and confused.
“We pleaded with him to come home.”
Soon after, his family received news that he had been detained in Japan and is now facing “consequences he can barely comprehend”.
Everything his family know about his movements is through the information provided by a solicitor in Japan, but his family cannot speak to him directly.
Lee says that Sean was picked up outside a Nisa shop one morning by a man who had befriended him and escorted him to Heathrow Airport.
Sean’s phone and bank cards were taken and he was given a Nokia so he couldn’t contact his family and arrangements were made for Sean to meet another man in Toronto.
According to the solicitor, Sean received threats to “break his legs and hurt his family” if he didn’t go to Canada.
From Toronto he was handed the suitcase of drugs to take to Tokyo where he was told it was money to be dropped to a “friend”, she claims.
Lee then received a message from the solicitor on July 15 who said that according to the case record, the amount of methamphetamine he was carrying wasn’t one or two kilos – but more than 10kg.
She added that Sean has now been moved to a juvenile centre and could be potentially looking at over 10 years in prison.
Lee said: “He’s extremely vulnerable – his mental age is 12 to 13 years old.
“He comes to my house, he plays with my children like children play.
“He’s very funny, he’s very unique, he’s so helpful and kind – he’s my Mum’s carer.
“His nan passed away in February and was on palliative care – he did not leave her bedside and used to go and get her medication everyday from the chemist.
“It’s not an excuse because he’s autistic and we understand he’s going to be punished – but he actually doesn’t understand what’s going on.
“How do I know if my brother’s even going to come home?”
Lee also said Sean has a history of self-harm, suicide attempts, and other medical conditions.
‘Police have been disgusting’
Sean’s family don’t know who got him involved in alleged drug smuggling and his sister was hesitant to speculate over fear of repercussions given the amount of drugs involved.
But they say they reported allegations of grooming and exploitation at Plumstead Police Station on Tuesday, July 1.
Lee claims that officers told her it was a matter for the NCA who then redirected her back to the police.
She said: “The police have been disgusting.
“I get that my brother has been detained abroad but a crime was taking place very close to his home.
“He was picked up from the Nisa between 8am and 9am that morning and the guy took him in his car to Heathrow airport.
“I’m just asking for CCTV of my brother at Heathrow Airport and the local shops to see who picked him up.”
When asked whether she had been able to obtain the CCTV, Lee responded: “No – the police say it isn’t a crime, so no.”
She added: “They’re passing the buck telling me to contact NCA.
“The NCA laughed at me and said ‘well, what do you want us to do?’
“So both have been kind of saying it’s not our problem.”
When The Sun contacted the NCA for comment, they said the matter is for the Foreign Office and that a criminal investigation taking place abroad is a matter for law enforcement in that country.
They added that anyone wishing to report someone being the victim of the a crime in the UK would need to contact the police and that the NCA is not a public crime reporting body.
The NCA can facilitate UK police to international requests but it would have to be initiated by the law enforcement bodies concerned.
An FCDO spokesperson said: “We are supporting a British man who is detained in Japan and are in contact with the local authorities.”
When the Metropolitan Police were contacted for comment they claim to have no record of contact with Sean’s family.
This is despite Ami claiming she had visited the police station twice and was provided with a Crime Reference Number.
The Sun previously reported how Australian national, Donna Nelson, was found guilty of smuggling 2kg of methamphetamine into Tokyo in 2023.
She claimed she was the victim of an online romance scam but prosecutors sought a ten-year sentence and $30,000 fine after she was caught with the drug concealed in the bottom of her suitcase.
Autism campaigner, Emma Dalmayne, who has launched a petition to help raise awareness of Sean’s plight, said: “Sean is autistic, learning disabled and has a heart condition, he is extremely vulnerable.
“The unpredictability and worry over what will happen to him will be causing him extreme anxiety which will cause harm to him.
“Autistic people are targeted for grooming and mate crimes, what had happened here is a global case of county lines.”
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