Donna Nelson finally to face trial in Japan

It will be inside a stark courtroom on Monday morning that most of Donna Nelson’s daughters set eyes on her for the first time in almost two years.

The grandmother has been in custody in a Japanese prison since she was detained in January 2023 at Narita Airport.

“Just to have that eye contact with her and to show her that she has this support and there’s a piece of home that’s there in Japan with her every step of the way, is going to be massive,” eldest daughter Kristal Hilaire said.

The 58-year-old from Western Australia was on the trip of a lifetime in January 2023, about to meet her love interest, after chatting online via the dating site AfroIntroductions.

But the former Federal Greens candidate never got to meet him after she was caught by customs officers with almost two kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in her suitcase.

Since then, she has been held in a cell 23 hours a day at Chiba Prison near Tokyo.

“She’s an honest person. She loved her kids. She just loved even her Aboriginal culture. She would never be doing anything like this,” daughter Janelle Morgan said.

Nelson claims she didn’t know about the drugs and is the victim of a Nigerian love scam.

“If I had heard about something like this happening to someone like mum, I would ask a lot more questions than we did,” Hilaire said.

“I hope that mum’s situation lets other Australians know that this does happen to ordinary people… when Mmum was talking about this guy this wasn’t anything that was on our radar.”

The sisters are hopeful their mother gets a fair trial and will be home in time for Christmas.

But they know the defence lawyers have a difficult job before them.

“The conviction rate there is like 99 per cent or more. So we know that she’s innocent, but we know that she’s got a big task ahead of her,” Hilaire said.

“I can just think about what I hope to happen and stay focused on that light at the end of the tunnel that she’s going to be home soon.”

Opening addresses will begin on Monday followed by testimony from the first customs agent.

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