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| Britons jailed for four years in Dubai on drug offences | Britons jailed for four years in Dubai on drug offences |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Three British men have been found guilty of drug offences in Dubai and jailed for four years each. | Three British men have been found guilty of drug offences in Dubai and jailed for four years each. |
| Londoners Suneet Jeerh, Grant Cameron and Karl Williams, who denied the charges, will be deported afterwards. | Londoners Suneet Jeerh, Grant Cameron and Karl Williams, who denied the charges, will be deported afterwards. |
| The three men were arrested on holiday in August after police said they found a quantity of synthetic cannabis known as "spice" in their car. | |
| Prime Minister David Cameron had expressed concern over allegations they were tortured while in custody. | |
| The BBC's Simon Atkinson, in Dubai, said the three men, dressed in white prison overalls, made a very brief appearance at Dubai's criminal court. | The BBC's Simon Atkinson, in Dubai, said the three men, dressed in white prison overalls, made a very brief appearance at Dubai's criminal court. |
| He said they were given their sentences and then told they would subsequently be deported from Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). | |
| Harsher sentences had been expected, our correspondent added. | Harsher sentences had been expected, our correspondent added. |
| Torture concerns | |
| Jeerh, 25, Cameron, 25, and Williams, 26, who were charged with possessing, taking and intending to distribute illegal drugs, went on trial in February. | |
| They claim they were subjected to torture by police, including electric shocks and beatings. Police in Dubai have denied any wrongdoing. | |
| Legal rights charity Reprieve has taken on their case and investigator Kate Higham said the supply charges against the men were dropped entirely. | |
| "The boys all got four years for consumption. While we are pleased with this result we will continue to push for the men's release and return in light of the torture they have suffered," she said. | |
| "We hope the UAE president would take this opportunity to show he shares the British public's concern about torture. " |