Abu Dhabi Appeals Court Sentences Briton Matthew Hedges To Life Imprisonment

Umer Jamshaid Published November 21, 2018 | 09:45 PM

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 21st Nov, 2018) The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals on Wednesday sentenced Briton Matthew Hedges to life in jail after finding him guilty of charges levelled against him by the Public Prosecution, Attorney General Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi announced.

He said the defendant pleaded guilty before the court in state security criminal case No. 96 of 2018 to all charges after the court faced him with compelling legal evidence concluded after thorough judicial investigations.

''The defendant confessed in detail to his crimes during investigations whereby he was accorded his full rights and assurances as per the UAE Constitution and state laws to fair and transparent trial,'' he said.

Al Shamsi stated that the defendant appeared before the court in the presence of representatives from the British embassy and he exhausted all methods of defence by his lawyer during the trial.

Al Shamsi added that today's sentence is not final and according to UAE laws the suspect has the right to appeal before the Federal Supreme Court for retrial where the evidence against him will be reviewed and the court will hear from him and his lawyer again