DJ Grooverider jailed in Dubai
The BBC Radio 1 disc-jockey Grooverider - real name Raymond Bingham - has been jailed for four years in Dubai after admitting to possessing a small amount of cannabis which he had "forgotten" he had in his trousers when he entered the country. He was given the strict sentence despite a plea from his lawyers that his ignorance of United Arab Emirates laws justified a pardon.
The drum and bass DJ had been due to play an hour-long set at Dubai's Lodge nightclub when he was stopped at the airport in November. Police found just over two grammes, which has a street value of about £10. The Gulf state, despite advertising itself as a holiday destination for Westerners, operates a zero-tolerance policy. A BBC spokesman said: "He made a serious mistake and is paying a very heavy price."
Grooverider was caught by highly sensitive new technology recently been installed in Dubai airport. The Foreign Office says that nine British nationals have already been detained in Dubai so far this year, while 57 were detained on drug-related charges last year.
Cat Le-Huy, a 31-year-old television executive from London, also faces four years in jail after cannabis weighing only 0.03 grammes was found in his bag when he flew into Dubai on January 26. Le-Huy, head of technology at Endemol, makers of Big Brother, has been held for three weeks without charge.
Initially, customs authorities said he was being held for carrying melatonin, but they have since alleged finding the cannabis - an amount so small it can't be seen by the naked eye.
No comments:
Post a Comment