Brit paratrooper hero faces £60,000 bill after he was imprisoned in Georgia for possessing legally prescribed drugs

By SABRINA PENTY, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER and ANDREW JEHRING, CHIEF FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT Published: 13:47, 15 July 2026 | Updated: 13:58, 15 July 2026 A British paratrooper hero who was locked away in a notorious Georgian prison for possessing legally prescribed drugs is facing a legal bill of up to £60,000.  Former sergeant Matthew 'Des' Desmond, 49, is set to be released this week after he was forced to admit to importing narcotics, despite having paperwork proving the drugs were prescribed for a spinal injury sustained from a jump in Afghanistan. Ahead of his release, the highly decorated Afghanistan and Iraq veteran will have to settle the hefty bill after agreeing to pay a £28,200 fine to Georgian authorities for his release, in addition to legal fees and costs incurred in prison.  His friends and family have set up a GoFundMe to cover the cost. At the time of writing, £2,000 has been raised out of the £60,000 target.  Brian Humphries and Claire Rough, who set up the fundraiser, wrote: 'Matthew Desmond is a retired decorated wounded serviceman currently being held in a Georgian jail. 'His release and the costs of his jail term and legal fees will reach £60,000, and this will be his entire savings from a life of service to his country. This page is set up for those sympathetic to Matthew’s situation who might want to help him with his costs.' Mr Desmond, who will plead guilty, showed visible pain as he appeared at Tbilisi City Court earlier this week.  He has been writhing in agony since his arrest in April, as prison medics only give him painkillers every other day. Sgt Matthew Desmond is being forced to pay £28,000 after he was made to admit that he imported narcotics Mr Desmond immediately declared the drugs when crossing into Georgia from Turkey on his Triumph motorbike on April 23. But because he had not obtained local paperwork, he was arrested and charged. Jaba Kochlamazashvili, representing Mr Desmond, told the court: 'A plea bargain has been reached between the prosecution and defence. 'However, details such as the fine transfer and paperwork remain, so we would beseech you to reschedule the hearing.' Judge Nino Galustashvili adjourned the hearing until Thursday, when Mr Desmond is expected to be released and return to his home in Nottingham. Speaking outside court, Mr Desmond's close friend James Sawyer said: 'It was nice to see Matthew today for the first time. We've come out to take him home. 'We do not want to comment on anything as we do not want to compromise proceedings. 'We want to make sure that the process plays out as it's supposed to but we very much look forward to taking Matthew home in due course.' Mr Desmond served in 2Para from 1995 until retiring in 2018 and had biked across 25 countries before attempting to enter Georgia. He was found with 0.0224 grams of buprenorphine, 0.75 grams of codeine, and 5.84 grams of Pregabalin - classified as a psychotropic substance. Lawyers obtained paperwork to prove the drugs were for private medical use in May, but he remains in custody. Mr Kochlamazashvili said, 'Matthew's release is all but imminent; the only problem is collecting the sum, which took a bit longer. Desmond (third from left) served in 2PARA from 1995 until retiring in 2018, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan 'We expected it to arrive by today, but transfers and paperwork took too long. We expect him to walk free come Wednesday, after which he'll depart Georgia.' Mr Desmond's heroics in Afghanistan were reported by the Daily Mail at the time and depicted in Desperate Glory, an unflinching account of his battalion's 2008 tour of the 'Mouth of Hell' in Helmand. The book detailed how Mr Desmond sprinted fearlessly across open ground, firing from his hip to reach a fallen comrade and haul his body out of the kill zone during an ambush. He then volunteered to join a dawn assault with a separate platoon, where he drew his Sig Sauer 9mm pistol and shot a Taliban commander at close range as he reached for his holster. Mr Desmond received the Meritorious Service Medal in the late Queen's 90th Birthday Honours. Gldani Prison, where he is held, was listed as one of the worst prisons in the world after a video leaked in 2012 showing guards torturing, beating, and sexually assaulting prisoners. However, a report last year found it had improved, and overcrowding was no longer an issue, and there were no longer allegations of mistreatment or inter-prisoner violence.