Briton jailed for life in Kuwait

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A British civilian defence contractor has been jailed for life in Kuwait after he was convicted of smuggling cannabis from Iraq, his lawyer said.

Gareth Rutherford, 50, who had faced a possible death sentence, denied taking 48kg (108lbs) of the drug into Kuwait in the tyre of a car.

His lawyer, Hassan al-Hotiri, said Rutherford will appeal.

The Foreign Office was aware of the case and was "following developments", a spokeswoman said.

She added that Rutherford's sentence would be 25 years, but his appeal would be heard within a month.

Rutherford worked for a Kuwaiti shipping firm which had a contract with the UK military in Basra.

He was arrested in September 2008 after allegedly entering Kuwait carrying drugs, alcohol and cash.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said it was a civilian matter.