"We love him so much. Please don't kill him, please," Brintha pleaded, her hands clasped together in a gesture of prayer. "He is scared, I can see it in his eyes. Please don't do this. He is doing everything he can do for others." His mother Raji also pleaded for mercy saying Sukumaran and Chan were "good children". "We don't know how long," she said. The two men were told on Friday by Australian embassy officials that they would die this month. News of the time of the execution comes as Robert Myers, the barrister who asked the Australian Federal Police to intervene and prevent one of the Bali Nine committing a crime overseas, says there is no excuse for their "deliberate lies" and "unlawful actions".

Sukumaran's and Chan's Indonesian lawyer, Todung Mulya Lubis, said he was yet to receive any official notification of the execution date. "We are preparing another legal action in the next couple of days," Mr Mulya said. "In the circumstances there are not many avenues to appeal." Asked if the news came as a surprise, Mr Mulya said: "Well, the attorney-general said it would be in February. Anything could happen." The chilling announcement comes as nine fellow Kerobokan prisoners wrote to Indonesian President Joko Widodo pleading with him to spare Sukumaran and Chan. Two even offered to be executed in their places. Rico Richardo said Chan had helped him when he almost died inside Bali's Kerobokan prison on January 23.

"It was Andrew Chan who insisted I got taken back to hospital," Richardo wrote. He said he did not have enough money to pay the hospital bill but Chan asked his lawyer to assist. Richardo said when it came to Chan the president was "seeing with just one eye". "Even though Andrew Chan is on death row … he never thinks of himself. This could be taken into consideration of your conscience, honorable Mr President," Richardo wrote. "If you still insist on executing Andrew Chan, I, Rico Richardo, an Indonesian citizen, am ready to take his place and be executed." Fellow prisoner Inyoman Andre has worked as a translator for Chan's bible classes for the past three years. On Thursday Chan asked him if he would take over running the classes. "He told me: 'You must be ready to be used by God," Andre told Fairfax Media.

"He is strong. If you study the bible you don't fear death because we learn in the bible this life is temporary. After that we have eternal life in our heaven." Andre was a methamphetamine user when he was imprisoned four and a half years ago. A former Hindu, who converted to Christianity in jail, he said Chan had taught him to appreciate life. "Andrew is a good person who has done much for us in here." Will he take over the bible classes? "I will," Andre says simply.