Australian actor Karm Gilespie is facing immediate execution in China if his long-running appeal against a drug trafficking conviction fails, more than a decade after his secret arrest.
The 61-year-old, who once appeared in Blue Heelers before leaving acting for property investment and motivational speaking, was detained in 2013 when Chinese border officials discovered 7.5 kilograms of methamphetamine in his luggage at Baiyun Airport in Guangzhou.
Gilespie, who grew up in Ballarat, has maintained his innocence since his arrest. However, in June 2020 he was sentenced to death – by either lethal injection or firing squad – under China’s strict anti-drug laws. The conviction only became public when the Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court handed down the sentence seven years after his detention.
An appeal was filed immediately with the Guangzhou Higher People’s Court, but more than five years on, a verdict is still pending. According to a report in the Herald Sun, Gilespie will face execution without delay if the appeal is unsuccessful.
Chinese criminal lawyer Jin Ling told the newspaper that convictions in such cases are rarely overturned, though the long delay could be attributed to pandemic-related disruptions or an incomplete review process.
“There is usually a death penalty review after the appeal verdict involving the Supreme People’s Court conducting a special review and approval process for cases sentenced to death,” Ms Ling said. “Judges reviewing the death penalty are very cautious, especially when involving foreign citizens – the result will rarely be different.”
Ms Ling said Gilespie is believed to be imprisoned alongside Australian-New Zealand dual national Peter Gardner, who was arrested at the same airport in 2014 with his then-girlfriend Kalynda Davis. Davis was released without charge following diplomatic intervention by then-foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop, while Gardner was later convicted and sentenced to death.
A spokesperson for the Australian Consulate-General in Guangzhou told the Herald Sun that officials were unable to comment without Chinese government approval.
“We visit them on a regular basis and forward all the updates we get back to DFAT in Australia,” the statement read.
After his early TV career, Gilespie travelled regional Australia performing a Banjo Paterson stage show before leaving the entertainment industry in 2009. It’s understood his visit to China was linked to his later work as a motivational speaker.
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