PRISONER Nick Baker's hope of getting out of his Japanese jail hell has suffered a setback following the death of the man accused of framing him.

James Prunier, who was a key player in the arrest and conviction of Mr Baker on drug smuggling charges, was found dead about 6.30am on Tuesday by staff at Gloucester railway station.

Mr Baker, 33, was caught with £1.4million worth of ecstasy tablets and cocaine in a suitcase at Tokyo's Narita airport last June.

A Japanese court sentenced him to 14 years in prison and a £27,000 fine.

But he insisted he was innocent and claimed his friend and fellow traveller, Mr Prunier, had tricked him into carrying the drugs through customs.

After Mr Baker's arrest, Belgium police later arrested Mr Prunier on similar drug trafficking charges.

He was due to face trial and was living in Gloucestershire having been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Fair Trials Abroad lawyer Sabine Zanker said the loss of Mr Prunier had taken away important defence evidence for Mr Baker.

The lawyers wanted to bring Mr Prunier to the Japanese High Court for questioning.

Miss Zanker said: "Nick must feel very betrayed. The true facts would have helped his case a lot because had the Belgian court found him guilty it would have showed he duped other people. I believe in cross-questioning Mr Prunier would have faced up to the truth. His evidence was the central part of the defence strategy."

Miss Zanker said it was impossible to tell how the Japanese judges would interpret the news.

Deputy director of Fair Trials Abroad Sarah de Mas said Mr Prunier's death would only affect Mr Baker's case once police established the cause of death.

Mrs De Mas said: "The Japanese legal system is different to the UK. There, the trial has gone on for months but it would rarely take that time in Britain. What we really need is to find out why James Prunier died.

"We want a fair trial which will explore all the evidence, because up to now the Japanese court would not accept any documentation from Prunier's trial in Belgium."

Mr Baker's Japanese lawyer Shunji Miyake said it was crucial to get Mr Prunier's statements from the Belgian court to Japan.

Mr Miyake said: I will tell Nick the news this Friday. His mental condition is good but certainly he will think how this affects his case. We have to prove to the Japanese judges the cause of Mr Prunier's death.

"In my understanding his death may not be so bad for Nick because to call Prunier was going to be very difficult and now the court may think again about Mr Prunier's evidence."

Meanwhile, Mr Baker's mother, Iris, from Oaksey, said she felt the news would have little bearing on the minds of the court.

More importantly she said Nick would be devastated to learn about the death of his former friend.

Mrs Baker said: "Nick believed he was his mate. He would never have wanted him dead. Neither Nick nor me are vindictive. I have tried to prepare myself for everything but we never expected this. I do not think the Japanese are going to lose face by re-examining Mr Prunier's death.

"But I am devastated for this man's mother and my sympathies are with his family. My fight is simply for justice and a fair trial for Nick."

Mr Prunier who was in his early 40s and from Stroud, appeared on television last August to deny the allegations he had duped Mr Baker. He said: "The thought that I set up and put someone in prison, whether a friend or not, is the pits."

Mr Prunier was estranged from his wife and twin 14-year-old daughters, who now live in Somerset.

David Emmott, the coroner's officer at British Transport Police said they had not yet established the cause of Mr Prunier's death. A post-mortem was due to be held today and an inquest would follow shortly.