A missionary couple from Britain have been sentenced to a year’s hard labour in an African prison for calling the Gambian President a madman.

David Fulton, a former army major, and his wife, Fiona, were convicted of sedition after sending critical e-mails about Yahya Jammeh, who seized power in the predominantly Muslim country in a bloodless coup in 1994.

The couple’s two-year-old adopted daughter, Elizabeth, is being cared for by a friend at the Fultons’ home near the capital, Banjul. It is understood that arrangements are being made to fly her to Britain.

Mr Fulton, 60, and his wife, 46, who have lived in The Gambia for 12 years, were also fined £6,250 each. Their lawyer said that they did not plan to appeal but were hoping for a pardon.

The couple, who were arrested on November 29, pleaded guilty and issued a public apology in the hope of a lenient sentence but were shocked when the judge handed down the maximum penalty for the “shocking offences”. Idrissa Mbai, the presiding magistrate, said: “They have shown no respect for the country, the Government and the President of the republic. I will send a clear message to the offenders.”

In many countries it is possible for prisoners to submit a plea for clemency after they have been convicted. However, a spokesman for the British High Commission in Banjul said that that would not be possible in this case, suggesting that any pressure would have to be applied behind the scenes.

Peter McMinn, Mrs Fulton’s father, denied yesterday that his son-in-law had any interest in the Gambian Government and insisted that he was doing only Christian work.

Mr Fulton, who has two grown-up children from a previous marriage, does have a controversial past, however. He was convicted of armed robbery after leaving the Army and met his wife while in jail. She was a prison visitor and he became a convert.

The couple now have ties to the Westhoughton Pentecostal Church near Bolton. According to the church’s website, Mr Fulton, originally from Troon, South Ayrshire, is chaplain for the Gambian Army. It says that he has a ministry on the river to reach villages accessible only by boat. His wife, who is from Torquay, looks after terminally ill people.

Antouman Gaye, the couple’s lawyer, said that their troubles began after they sent e-mails to friends and church contacts in Britain. “Some of it was to do with religion, some was to do with the state of affairs in this country. Some e-mails said the President is a madman. It was very risky,” he said.

“Unfortunately for them, a Gambian person in England who has a connection with one of these churches got hold of these e-mails and sent them back to the police here.”

The couple are being held at Mile II in Banjul, described as a tough prison built during the days of the British Empire. A recent Amnesty International report condemned “overcrowding, poor sanitary conditions and foul food” at the jail. The organisation says it has received reports that at least 19 people have died there in the past three years.Under Gambian law the couple cannot receive visits for three months, although they will be allowed to remain in regular contact with consular staff.

Mrs Fulton told her lawyer yesterday that her thoughts were with her elder daughter, Iona, 20, who is due to give birth today in Exeter. “Mrs Fulton hopes that they will at least let her know if Iona has a boy or a girl,” Mr Gaye said.

The Fultons’ teenage son, Luke, is a student at Exeter College.

A little slice of Africa

— The former British colony is one of Africa’s smallest and most densely populated countries. It is 100 miles long and 30 miles wide

— Except for a short coastline, it is surrounded entirely by Senegal

— The 1.5 million population is 90 per cent Muslim with the rest divided between Christianity and indigenous religions

— In 1965 it gained independence, forming a federation with Senegal between 1982 and 1989. In 1994 Yahya Jammeh seized power in a bloodless coup

— The country officially returned to civilian rule in 1996, but Jammeh has tolerated little political competition

— In 2006-07 Britain allocated £3 million to poverty reduction

Sources: Times Atlas; FCO; CIA World Factbook; Times archives

Times Recommends

• 'Devastating' abuse found amongst Aborigines
• LA profits from Michael Jackson stimulus
• Was Jörg Haider murdered?