Diver in deep water for "aiding' faudster
It has all the makings of an adventure film — a sultry South Seas setting, an elusive conman, allegations of gun running and drug smuggling and an escape from a tropical island nation under martial rule.
But adventure has turned to nightmare for a British diver who has found herself mixed up with the notorious Australian fraudster Peter Foster in the South Pacific.
Sacha Dench has represented Britain and Australia in the sport of free diving, in which she holds her breath for up to six minutes, plunging to depths of 150ft with the aid of 3ft-long flippers.
But the 31-year-old, who has joint British-Australian nationality, has found herself in even deeper water after her encounter with Foster, who was at the centre of the "Cheriegate" affair that embarrassed Tony Blair in 2002.
She has had her passport confiscated by police in Vanuatu while they investigate a bizarre chain of events that resulted in Foster entering the tiny Pacific country illegally. Ms Dench was a crew member aboard a converted Australian navy minesweeper this month when it allegedly picked up Foster from Fiji, where he was wanted for immigration offences.
She had been hired to take underwater photographs and film of the crew as they sailed around the South Pacific, apparently looking for unclaimed treasure.
Prosecutors in Vanuatu claim she rowed Foster, 44, close to shore in a dinghy, from where he jumped into the shallows. He was on the run for six days before being arrested and put into jail 10 days ago.
The other three crew members of Retriever I, who deny any knowledge of Foster being on board, have been charged with assisting Foster's unlawful arrival in Vanuatu.
They will also face charges of having unlawful firearms and are being detained with Ms Dench in Vanuatu's capital, Port Vila.
In exchange for co-operating with local police, Ms Dench has been given immunity from prosecution.
Her family said she leapt at the chance to join the salvage expedition but unwittingly became mired in intrigue.
Foster is due to appear in court in Port Vila today, where he is expected to plead guilty to charges of entering Vanuatu illegally on Jan 8. In the past few months he has left a tangled web of financial and political dealings.
In Fiji he claimed he was part of an elaborate sting to prove corruption in the government that was ousted by the military last month.
