Overview

• Sean Stephenson, an 18-year-old from South East London diagnosed with autism, has been held in Tokyo since June 21 on charges of smuggling over a kilogram of methamphetamine.
• His family alleges he was groomed and coerced by British county-lines gang members who threatened him at Heathrow to transport drugs.
• The Metropolitan Police and National Crime Agency have referred the family to each other and opened no investigation into the grooming claims.
• The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has arranged contact with Japanese officials and transferred funds but its support remains limited.
• Under Japan’s 23-day pre-charge detention rules, known by critics as ‘hostage justice’, Stephenson faces restricted lawyer access and a pending court hearing as his family campaigns for evidence and legal funding.