Harry freed with royal pardon

Australian Harry Nicolaides, who was serving a prison sentence for lese majeste, has been granted a royal pardon and deported from Thailand. The Age reports:

Australian author Harry Nicolaides, who was jailed in Thailand for criticising the country's royal family in a book, is on his way home after being granted a royal pardon.

Nicolaides walked free from prison yesterday after Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej issued a royal decree on Wednesday, his brother Forde Nicolaides said.

The 41-year-old author spent five months in a Thai jail after being arrested last August for insulting the Thai monarchy in his book Verisimilitude. He was sentenced to three years' jail last month after pleading guilty to 'lese majeste' - the crime of criticising the royals.

His release ends a "six-month nightmare" for the family, his brother said.