The family of Perth grandmother Donna Nelson have thanked the Federal Government for orchestrating a rare international prisoner transfer, bringing the 60-year-old home from Japan.
The deal was so sensitive that the family didn’t know it was happening until she had landed in Australia.
Friday night was the first time in almost four years Kristal Hilaire and Ashlee Charles got to hug their mum.
“This whole time she hasn’t had a hug . . . so she got, how many hugs? At least 10 yesterday,” Ms Charles said.
In 2023, Donna Nelson was scammed by an online boyfriend into bringing a suitcase into Japan with meth hidden inside.
Locked up ever since, Ms Nelson has always maintained her innocence.
Her appeal to the Tokyo High Court failed last year, kicking off 12 months of diplomacy behind the scenes.
This week Australia secured a rare transfer, allowing Ms Nelson to finish her six-year sentence in Perth.
Ms Nelson is now at Bandyup Women’s Prison, where she met her youngest grandchild for the first time.
Unlike in Japan, she can hug visitors and is allowed phone calls. On Friday, she enjoyed her first coffee in almost four years.
“She missed her cappuccinos,” Ms Charles said.
The diplomatic deal could see Ms Nelson paroled by February.
Her daughters say although her time behind bars is not over, it makes all the difference knowing they are just 10km up the road — not 8000km across the globe.
“We’re breathing the same air as her now, and literally can just drive past where she is,” Ms Charles said.
Ms Hilaire described the immense relief now that Ms Nelson was back in Perth.
“We all had the best sleep we’ve had in all these years,” she said.
“It’s like a weight was lifted that you had forgotten was there, because it just became normal to be wearing that weight all the time.”
Premier Roger Cook added his thanks to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Saturday.
“I am so pleased, and in some respects relieved, that Donna can be at least back in her country and back on her country, and from that perspective we want to thank DFAT and all the work that’s been done to bring her home,” Mr Cook said.
Ms Charles said the whole family echoed those sentiments.
“Yeah, we can’t thank them (the Federal Government) enough, they just made our family whole again,” she said.
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