Stephen Khan – A Scottish woman who has been under arrest in Indonesia since September for allegedly misusing a tourist visa faces being held for a further 20 days without charge.

Lesley McCulloch, 40, and her American travelling companion, nurse Joy Lee Sadler, are now under the authority of the public prosecutor – after being held by police since 11 September, when they were arrested in the Aceh region, where rebels are fighting for independence.

Visa offences technically carry a maximum five-year jail sentence in Indonesia, but friends of the pair argue that no one in such a position has been held for this length of time without going to court. Police were able to hold them for up to 60 days without any charge – a period that is due to expire today – but they are now being detained under the authority of the public prosecutor.

Ms McCulloch's mother Mattie, who lives in Dunoon, Argyll, said: "Lesley's lawyer is travelling from Jakarta to see her and I am more hopeful today than yesterday that her lawyer will be able to spell out what is going to happen. No charges have been brought against her yet, and I think there will be a trial, given the time they have been held over there. The wait has been absolutely horrendous. Our lives have been on hold all this time."

Sources in Indonesia have indicated that heightened levels of security since last month's Bali bomb have not helped the situation.

The academic has complained of maltreatment, including sexual harassment, by the police and has threatened to sue them on release. She also claims that access to lawyers and consular staff has been hindered.

Police claim they found photographs and video footage of the separatist rebel movement in the women's bags, as well as a laptop and documents. In the past, Ms McCulloch has written about the Aceh independence movement for academic studies and newspapers but both women deny allegations that they were in the area as anything other than tourists.