Perth grandmother Donna Nelson ends fight against drug-smuggling conviction

Perth grandmother Donna Nelson has ended her fight against her drug-smuggling conviction in Japan.

The 59-year-old, who was a “blind mule”, had until Friday to launch an appeal to the Supreme Court after the High Court in Tokyo last month upheld her conviction and six-year sentence.

Her family has confirmed to 9News Perth she will not be launching a new appeal.

The former federal Greens candidate was arrested at Narita Airport in January 2023 with almost two kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in her suitcase.

The court found she was a victim of an online love scam, but must have had a doubt about her lover’s motives.

In September, the Tokyo High Court found the mother-of-five had cast aside her worry and doubt and complied with the request from the man, known as Kelly, to bring the suitcase into Japan for his fashion design business.

Her daughter Ashlee Charles said on Friday the family feels her best option is to pursue an international transfer back to Australia to serve her sentence.

“We also weighed up other things like mum’s mental health and the fact that she likes to interact with people and she hasn’t had any interactions on a personal level in a very long time,” she said.

“She’s had a visit with a pastor in the last few days, and what she’s told us is that mum’s actually in a really good space mentally, which is really good to hear. I think she’s excited about being able to possibly interact with others”.

The family now wants to get the ball rolling on a prisoner transfer application.

“We’re relying on the fact that the Australian government has been really supportive of mum, and they’ve actually gone above and beyond for mum, on several occasions,” Charles said.

“So we feel like that’s a pretty good indication of how important she is to the Australian government.

“Weighing it all up, and the fact that they’re so supportive, I think that speaks to the fact that they do believe mum, and that she is the victim of a romance scam.

“Obviously, the judges at the appeal stage and the trial stage, stating that they also believe mum is the victim of a romance scam, would further cement that.”

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.