Briton faces death penalty in Egypt

A 74-year old British sailor is facing the death penalty in Egypt after he was convicted of drug smuggling.

11:13 05 June 2013

Charles Raymond Ferndale, a 74-year-old British sailor, has been sentenced to death by hanging in Egypt for drug smuggling, together with four other men who are from the Seychelles and Pakistan and who are believed to be working for an international smuggling syndicate.

 

The group of 5 men were arrested in April 2011 on board a ship near the Red Sea coastal town of MarsaAlam. Prosecutors argued that they tried to smugglethree tons of cannabis into Egypt. 

 

Meanwhile, lawyers of Mr. Ferndale said that their client was just a victim of an international set up.

 

One lawyer said that although his client is doing fine, he is psychologically destroyed. He said, as reported by The Independent: “He’s doing fine. He’s a very strong man. But he feels like he is dying and is psychologically destroyed. He is 74-years-old and has done two years in prison.”

 

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office released a statement saying that it would do its utmost to prevent any death sentence from being carried out.