The young backpacker caught carrying a record amount of heroin into Australia has been visited in jail by his mother, it was revealed today.

Pam Burchill, from Sandhill Road, Eastwood, flew out to Brisbane for just over a week to see her 20-year-old son, Paul.

Usually prison visits are limited to one a week but the British Consulate managed to secure special permission and Mrs Burchill was allowed to see Paul on almost a daily basis.

The former FitzWimarc School pupil is thought to be in reasonably good spirits and is using his time on remand to study French and mathematics.

Paul - son of Castle Point Council's director of planning, Ian Burchill - was arrested at the end of January when he was found with more than £5 million (13.4kg) of heroin stashed inside four wood carvings at Brisbane airport.

He denied all knowledge of the drugs and insisted he had been asked to take the carvings to Australia by a man he met in a Bangkok bar.

His devoted parents have stood loyally by their son and said he had been duped into carrying the packages from Thailand.

Ian Burchill said today: "Paul is very positive. He is keeping himself busy by studying.

"It was good that the family managed to see him on a personal level. It made all the difference.

"The remand centre provides a good standard of accommodation. Paul has his own television, radio and shower and a room to himself.

"It looks like it will be a long, drawn-out affair which is what happens when these things go through the court system."

He added: "I intend to go out there sooner rather than later and I am waiting to see when a hearing date will be set. If that ends up being a long time off, then I will try to go out there before then.

"It makes more sense for one of us to go out there at a time, rather than both together, because that way we get to see Paul more often."

The Burchill family has also set up a network of friends here at home to write letters to Paul, and various contacts in Australia, such as the Salvation Army, visit him regularly in prison.

Paul's solicitor in Brisbane, Robert Burns, said: "It lifted his spirits to see his mother and it was something which was much needed. It will take some time for him to adjust to prison life and what is happening to him.

"It is important for Paul to have that sort of support. The visit is very demonstrative of the support his family has given him, especially when his mother dropped everything to fly to the other side of the world at short notice."

At this stage, Paul's legal team still do not know what charges he will ultimately face but for now he will stay at the remand prison in Brisbane.

It was decided it was not in Paul's best interests not to apply for bail as without a permanent address in the country, the courts would be unlikely to grant permission.

On remand - Paul Burchill awaits his fate in Australia

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