Down for 4 years.

[hookturn]

Well the "Rider" has been sentenced.

4 years in a Dubai jail.




Grooverider
The 40-year-old DJ has been with Radio 1 since 1998
BBC Radio 1 DJ Grooverider has been jailed for four years in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for cannabis possession.

The DJ - real name Raymond Bingham - was arrested in November 2007 for flying in for a nightclub gig with 2.16g of cannabis in his luggage.

Bingham denied smuggling drugs, claiming he had left the cannabis in a trouser pocket and forgotten about it.

"Grooverider has paid a very high price for a serious mistake," a spokesman for Radio 1 said.

The 40-year-old has been with the station since 1998 and hosted the weekend drum 'n' bass show with fellow DJ Fabio.


The programme, which has broadcast without him since his arrest, will continue under the title Radio 1's Drum 'n' Bass Show With Fabio.

Grooverider had been employed on a freelance basis and has not been paid by the station since November.

Four years is the minimum sentence for drug trafficking in the UAE.

In the last 12 months, 64 British nationals have been arrested in the UAE for drugs offences

The DJ, who called his arrest "ridiculous" in an interview last month, has two weeks to appeal.

"I must have forgotten the spliff," he said in the interview. "It was a small amount. Back home I would not even get prosecuted."


BBC News report

[6071842]

Crazyness man! i hadnt heard about this! bloody shame really.

[cat]

I saw in the paper that some guy, changing planes in dubai, not staying there was caught with 0.01g of cannabis on his shoe, 4 years, its the flat rate penalty for possession over there, same with some prescription drugs, you have to be very careful if you fly through there!

[dreamteck]

thats so messed up

[Rovastar]

Originally Posted by cat

I saw in the paper that some guy, changing planes in dubai, not staying there was caught with 0.01g of cannabis on his shoe, 4 years, its the flat rate penalty for possession over there, same with some prescription drugs, you have to be very careful if you fly through there!

It was even less than that. 0.003 grams

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/w...ds/7235467.stm

[hookturn]

Originally Posted by Rovastar

It was even less than that. 0.003 grams

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/w...ds/7235467.stm

Dont forget the Swiss dude who had poppy seeds form a roll in his pocket.
He got jailed for 4 years too

[MrJustin]

Thats because you can be done for trafficking drugs there even if its in your bloodstream, so if you've smoked a joint in the last few weeks, you're smuggling cannabis. Retroactive something its called.


"roll us a fat one, raymond"

-"yeah sure, let me just let a few pints of my own blood and extract the THC..."

[Liquidmetro]

I was VJing for one of my regular nights when this happened and he didn't show. Fabio and Grooverider are a dnb institution both representing very different styles within the genre. Shame he has become a scapegoat and as yet there are no plans for deportation. Let's hope the appeal changes things.

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by Liquidmetro

Shame he has become a scapegoat and as yet there are no plans for deportation.

I would disagree that he has become a scape goat, he's not the first and he won't be the last to fall foul of Dubai's draconian drug laws - http://www.fairtrials.net/index.php/...riton_impriso/

I doubt the appeal will have a significant effect.

[Liquidmetro]

First time I have heard about a 'celebrity' facing a sentence like this in dubai. This case has probably had more media coverage than if it was a member of the general public. Whilst he is not the first, this case is certainly high profile so would be the perfect opportunity to come down harder than normal.