Grooverider Jailed in Dubai

http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/sunday/2007/11/25/dj-held-in-porn-swoop-98487-20157420/



sorry if its been posted already

http://www.adelaidemassive.com/index.php?topic=66.270

ya

over a month later, he is still in jail awaiting a court date... dude needs better lawyers!

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jd1MqD36q53aW4SCtpEpeOPn0Tgw

British DJ held in UAE awaiting court date: report

DUBAI (AFP) — British dance DJ Grooverider is still awaiting a court date in Dubai, over a month after he was arrested for alleged possession of cannabis and pornography, the local press reported on Monday.

Grooverider, whose real name is Raymond Bingham, remains in a prison at Dubai airport after he was detained there on November 23, the day he was supposed to perform a club gig in the emirate known for being one of the party capitals of the Middle East, the English-language daily 7Days reported.

"The case is still being investigated and we are waiting for the investigation to finish in order to refer the suspect to the court, which will decide what happens to him," an official at Dubai public prosecution office told the paper, without elaborating.

The newspaper said customs officers found pornographic DVDs and a small amount of cannabis in the record collection of the 40-year-old DJ, who co-hosts a weekly drum and bass programme called "Fabio and Grooverider" on Britain's BBC Radio 1.

The Western-oriented emirate of Dubai, one of seven that make up the United Arab Emirates, is a leisure hub in the oil-rich Gulf and draws millions of visitors every year.

But the UAE imposes tough penalties for all drug-related offences -- four years is the usual sentence for possession, while trafficking carries the death penalty.

Pornographic material is also banned in the UAE, where nude images in foreign periodicals and books are usually scratched with black ink or torn out.

you get that in these countries... cant be too surprised now 

It all explains this pic then:

[nsfw]http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/3329/riderrg3.jpg[/nsfw]

Dirty fucker! 

Not good.
The whole thing sucks.

It is nobodys fault but Grooveriders though.

thats some seriously fucking funny shit man!!!

Sorry but I feel for him being stuck in jail over Christmas and New year.

Of course you can feel sorry for him. But it's still his fault.

Unless you are a good little boy whos NEVER broke the law, its a bit hypocrytical dont ya think? Seing as you download dnb as you admitted 10 mins ago, I know now you aint a little angel

 

Granted I respect Dubai's laws - one thing I love about the world is the different cultures and the way everyones got thier own thang goin on, but its harsh for the amount hes been nicked with.

I would say I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy, but nah 

dear god no

http://www.xpress4me.com/news/uae/dubai/20005021.html


BBC Radio One DJ Raymond Bingham aka Grooverider, who was arrested at the Dubai airport on November 23 for carrying cannabis and pornographic material said he was coping well in jail here.

"I’m alright, it could have definitely been worse. I spend my time reading and catching up on things in here," he said.

"I have no clue what’s happening on the outside, but I hope for all this to end soon," he added.

Bingham, 40, who is known as the ‘Godfather of Drum and Bass’ (electronic dance music), expressed dismay at British Consulate officials in Dubai.

"The British Consulate officials are a joke. They just threw me leaflets and that was that," said Bingham. "This is ridiculous. I must have forgotten the spliff. It was a small amount. Back home I would not even get prosecuted."

The British Consulate declined to comment on the case but according to Simon Goldsmith, second secretary, political and media affairs, it is offering consular assistance.

The consulate’s website offers clear warning about what it can – and can’t – do to help British citizens.

Bingham, who was to perform at the Lodge on November 23, was on his second visit to the city. "I just want this to end and leave, I never want to come back."

Bingham could be facing four years in jail in Dubai. The court date has not been disclosed yet.

Drug rap DJ faces jail delay

A radio One DJ charged with possessing cannabis and hardcore porn DVDs could be stuck for months behind bars in the Middle East because of a backlog in the court system.

Grooverider was held at Dubai Airport on November 23 after his record bag was searched as he arrived for a gig.

The DJ, 40, now faces a long wait in prison for his case to be heard due to a lack of legal staff.

http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/sunday/2008/01/06/drug-rap-dj-faces-jail-delay-98487-20275776/

Drug rap DJ???????

just out of curiosity......


is this his wife?!??!!?!?


[NSFW] http://www.wallpapergate.com/data/media/909/Traci_Bingham_009.jpg [NSFW]

noun:   a reproach for some lapse or misdeed (Example: "It was a bum rap")

not

noun:   genre of African-American music of the 1980s and 1990s in which rhyming lyrics are chanted to a musical accompaniment.

Traci Bingham is an American chick, so no.... Plus she supposedly prefers fucking white guys.

I thought his missus was called Saskia? The chick he was with a few years back was called that at least.

The girl he used to date (don't know if he still does) was Saskia Porter. There happens to be a model/DJ (Sassy P) of the same name. Wonder if it's her?

Hmm.. your research into another man's missus is alarming. At least you know he'll be tied up for a little while (excuse the pun).

I only know this because on the Prototype years in the shout out section she was listed next to me & Daniel.

Grooverider was ‘unaware’ of marijuana
Amira Agarib (Staff Reporter)

27 January 2008

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2008/January/theuae_January825.xml&section=theuae&col=

DUBAI - The Dubai Court of First Instance on January 27 heard the case of Grooverider, a popular British disc jockey (DJ) arrested on the charges of drug possession.

Grooverider, whose real name is Raymond Bingham, was arrested at Dubai International Airport on November 23, 2007, when customs officials found him carrying 2.1gm of marijuana and pornographic DVDs in his bag. He was detained by the authorities and was referred to the Public Prosecution on November 26, 2007.

The drum icon had flown into Dubai from Heathrow to perform at a popular club in Dubai.

At yesterday’s hearing, Grooverider confessed to taking drugs regularly but said he was not aware that there was marijuana in his bag.

Traces of drugs were found in his urine during the tests done by the Forensic Department.

The court has fixed the next hearing to February 5, 2008.

The 40-year-old DJ, who co-hosts the weekly BBC drum-and-bass programme, faces up to four years in jail if found guilty.

Earlier, Simon Goldsmith, Second Secretary, Political and Media Affairs at the British Embassy, Dubai, told Khaleej Times: “We are offering consular assistance to Grooverider.”‘

man that coulda been my new Dj name DANG!

fixed 

Grooverider admits Dubai pot possession charge
Created On February 4th, 2008 by i_have_ADD

(from ITM)

Drum & bass icon Grooverider appeared in court in Dubai last week for the first time following his November arrest on drugs charges and admitted being in possession of 2.16 grams of marijuana. The Radio 1 star was detained when customs officials at Dubai’s international airport searched him as he arrived to play a DJ gig and has been locked up for over two months. “I searched him and he had nothing illegal on him, but when I searched his bag I found marijuana in a plastic bag inside a pocket of his jeans,” a customs officer told the court. “When I asked him about it he said it was marijuana and that it was for his personal use and he had forgotten it was in his trousers.” (7 Days, UAE)

Grooverider is almost certain to receive the four year minimum sentence meted out to travellers found to have even traces of drugs in their bloodstream, though has hired local lawyer Mohammad Al-Reda to fight his case. Mr Al-Reda previously represented millionaire US producer Dallas Austin who was caught with pills and a gram of coke in 2006 and helped negotiate a pardon for Austin, which saw him released just 4 hours after being sentenced to 4 years. The New York Times reported that a bizarre consortium of US senators and pop stars including Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie helped negotiated the pardon, prompting a cynical response from the Sunday Times in an article on Dubai this year.

“Instead of possibly spending years in a Dubai prison (the UAE has some of the strictest laws in the world), after a few calls from the right places, he (Austin) was set free,” said the Times. “That money sometimes bends morality is no surprise in a place where it’s said, jokingly, that every third woman is a prostitute.” Ominously for Grooverider, however, influential local newspaper 7 Days published a heavily critical letter about the DJ, which directly raised Dallas Austin’s pardon. “So the ‘big’ trial has begun. Starring a DJ who is billed as ‘famous’ and his lawyer who got the dubiously named Dallas Austin off of drugs charges in 2006,” wrote ‘anti-drug Baron’. “DJ: “Back home I would not even get prosecuted’ – Well Groovie baby you ain’t back home. Anyone with an ounce of intelligence would know what the rules and regs (sic) are here. Ignorance is no defence,” he sneered. “So I hope that this ‘famous’ guy is made an example of and given the strictest sentence.”

6 months previously an Italian tourist was jailed for four years for possessing 0.01 grams of hashish, receiving no mercy from the Dubai court. “I didn’t intend to bring the drugs; I forgot it in the inner pocket of my jacket,” the 24 year old defendant told the court. “I forgot it in my clothes before coming here. I am so sorry for that,” he added. (Gulf.news.com)

stoners

For someone who makes a living traveling around the world its pretty silly to put it all in jepoardy for a few spliffs. not very professional.

So is the Ryder still locked up?

yes. looking like he'll get 4 years too

! what! thats crazy

fuck going over there theres probably enough thc just oozing from my pores to put me away 4 life

That's what I'm thinking.
And there was a possability that I could of gone over to work there for a while... no thank you!!!

Think of the mega dosh you would've likely made working there though...surely worth giving up the chronic for! 

Enticing, but not worth the risk... one minute little speck of the green in a pocket and there goes 4 years of your life!!!

NO THANKS.

yeah i saw that other thread 4 years for that guy with 0.003 grams or less than a sugar granule stuck to the bottom of his shoe i'd say grooverider is royally fucked

its bad enough that me and several people i know have had traces of HEROIN, cocaine, amphetamines, cannabis etc detected in our bags by those wands at adelaide aiport (well for fucks sake, the bag HAD been taken to glastonbury, who knows who's bag it came into contact with) and i understand this guy had something similar happen?


and as for mega dosh earned there - sure, you can make some beans there, but its also a fucking expensive place to live with rent seeming to double every year (and unscrupulous landlords trying to kick you out to put new tenants in at the higher rent)

it truly is a fucked up part of the world, but rolling in money.

no bail set ?... full-on, four years, could they give him a laptop to make beats with?...
i'd buy a t-shirt for the bail-payment cause, one that says save the rider or something...
and people will have to send their dubs THERE now..

British DJ jailed for four years for possession of marijuana

http://archive.gulfnews.com/nation/Police_and_The_Courts/10190903.html

By Bassam Zaza, Senior Reporter
Published: February 19, 2008, 09:28

Dubai: A well-known British DJ has been jailed for four years for illegally bringing in and possessing marijuana.

The 40-year-old disc jockey was sentenced by the Dubai Court of First Instance and would be deported after serving his sentence.

The DJ, who had traveled to Dubai to play a set, had previously told the court he did not know the drugs were in his possession and that he had no intention of bringing it to Dubai.

He was arrested at Dubai Airport on November 23, 2007, when a small transparent sack containing 2.16 grams of marijuana was found in his luggage.



harsh...

I can't believe they are allowed to do that. Surely England will try to intervene and let him serve the penalty in his own country or something?

he's probably not worth the bargain, what would england have to give dubai to get him back?? its why the bali 9 are still over in indonesia, and chapelle corby...the oz government would have to let go of certain political prisoners or even back down on some negotiations.

 
 Wow that is insane.

 

 Sorry to hear it.

RIP grooveriders career. if it wasnt this, it wouldve been his (lack of) hearing tho...

still, he aint about to be anybodies bitch in jail over there.

That's well messed up. Imagine the amount of people that get stuck in jail for this kind of thing that we don't know about ( because they aren't famous ).
How horrible : (

No kidding, there's probably 100 of them for every one we hear of.

Grooverider was such an important guy for history of DnB!

They're not executing him... 4 years is extreme to us for the amount of weed he had, but it is still only 4 years!!!
Many people have been given much longer sentences for similar convictions around the world.

Hehe, sure I know they're not executing him. But just think how much the music scene will change in 4 years and how he won't have any input. That's all...

This whole thing has me really sad

so he got shut down hey? pretty harsh.

Fucking shocked.

 

No way is Dubai bigger than Radio 1!

i know everyones saying "but the laws over there are tight and he should've known better" and all that, but imo fuck that, to get done for 4 years for 2 spliffs is completely insane, what kind of justice system is that? they cant possibly say it was 'intent to sell' or 'trafficking', so how can possession land a prison term that long? when as someone said you could kill someone and walk away with 6 years...

thats just my opinion though, i respect the country and everything, i just think its fucked up and unfair thats all, and not just because its a famous dj, i think its absolute bullshit that it happens to anyone...sure theyre stupid for bringing the drugs over, but not everyone keeps in touch with international laws and some people would probably assume its the same laws as at home...Grooverider should've known better, but with other people like some of the mules in the bali 9, i think a penalty like death is ridiculously unfair, someones life shouldnt be fucked just because of a single mistake...

 Just another reason to steer clear of the fuckin shithole that is the middle east.

 imo.

The Bali 9 got what they deserved - pure and simple.

And with Rider, altho the penalty is harsh it is the law that has always been there. I mean, who would travel to Dubai with weed in their pocket which they have "forgotten about". I don't understand why people are blaming Dubai when in this case the person 100% at fault is Grooverider.

i think it's fairly safe to say the bbc have well and truly wiped their hands clean of rider!

as for dubai... it's incredible that a place that has been bending over backwards to build up a tourist industry is taking such a hard line on western travellers.

i personally think the rest of the world needs to take a stand by simply NOT EVER GOING THERE.

i think some of the Bali 9 got what they deserved like the ringleaders and shit, but i don't think the 3 mules who were clearly just drug fucked teenagers deserve death for some stupid decision that they probably made while fucked up...

sure Grooverider fucked up, he was stupid to bring that shit with him, but still the laws are ridiculously harsh, Dubai has its head so far up its on goddam fucking ass thats its forgotten that people make mistakes, and it wants to show the world how 'big a power' it is by penalising everybody for doing petty, bullshit offences...

Napalm the cunts.

ive always wondered why the fuck its a 'tourist' place.
sounds relatively hard even to get a drink there, and you'd need more than a few to numb the pain of being in such a shithole.

something about the oil coming to an end. they have sun, sand and water. it will be their main source of income when the oil dries up.

i meant what is the 'attraction' for tourists.

a six star hotel?
shopping malls?
a fucking indoor ski run? man, we have that in thebby and i can take my own weed.

i would like to go there and check it out.

they have shopping. pure n simple. ffs, most of the people recently detained for 'posession' were tourists coming to dubai for the International Shopping Festival!

some people love that shit!

PS Timboh, I have been there (well airport/flown in) and its pretty amazing what they have built out of the sand dunes. the housing literally STOPS and you are in the desert. no trees, no nothing!  the architecture would be amazing to see, and it would be luxurious like u'd never believe if u had cashola...but otherwise, there are FAR MORE interesting places i want to visit in arabia and northern africa. its a great place to stop off tho, flying round the world...and emirates is by far THE BEST AIRLINE I HAVE EVER BEEN ON

Fuck... Everyone knows the risks involved in doing what they do. Especially in foreign countries. Its well documented and history shows they don't play. I feel for anyone who does get caught up in scandelous activity I truly do. But for anyone who does willingly take the risk BOY its a big one.

Dubai is an amazing place and will be a powerhouse in years to come.

In Cambodia, possession is life imprisonment, traffiking is death penalty.

We smoked spliffs at a restaurant just after crossing into north east Cambodia, as we read the billboard informing us of this information.

but didnt phorte's bro get busted for a speck found in the groove of his shoes?

it will be interesting to see what happens to dubai when peak oil really begins to kick in. they are smartly 'making hay when the sun shines' at the moment, but when it starts to run low and they need more and more of their oil to use themselves instead of selling (it uses more energy and water per person that any other country in the world) things are liable to change dramatically, likely for the worse.
when the oil runs out, so will tourism...

i wonder what sort of solar-generating facilities and the like are there are at the moment? Perfect place for wind and solar..

No, I'm pretty sure he was done with LEGAL, prescribed medication... whole other story.

And on the oil note, they have plenty up their sleeves. What they are doing is extremely smart imo but I think they're not interested in having people like you and I visiting their country. They are trying to make Dubai THE tourist desitination for high society. Hence the crackdown on minor infringements by westerners, someone has to be made an example of... and where better to start than a B grade UK celebrity DJ.

ummm, pretty much none!

theyre in the middle of the desert and yet use more water than anyone else, thanks to desal... but thats another issue. when oil is still so relatively cheap, they wouldnt bother with wind. but solar eventually i spose.

still, i aint going near the fucking place.

 Agree Jayar.

 Middle East = FAIL

Maybe it'd make a good car park.

 Got Prototype Years pumpin now

 
 
 

Don't forget the 'Happy Pizza House' in Phnom Penh!  

From skrufff.com...

Dubai’s Dance Scene Sympathises With Grooverider

British drum & bass icon Grooverider was sentenced to 4 years in jail
 in Dubai this week for possessing 2.16g of cannabis as he flew into the
 United Arab Emirates last December for a DJing gig.

Leading figures from the Gulf States thriving dance community said the
 case has been ‘big news in Dubai’ and predicted wider fallout in the
 future.

“Everybody knows Dubai is a drug free country but it’s pure
 intimidation and nervousness when you fly somewhere knowing that someone might ask
 you to strip just because your eyes are red after a long flight,” one
 promoter told Skrufff. “It definitely now discourages international DJs
 from coming here.”

“I definitely think that clampdown on drugs is a good thing but there’s
 no need for such drastic measures,” he continued. “This is a quote
 from a well known DJ when I tried to book him: ‘I’ve heard they arrest
 people for having medicine with them: it’s a bit risky don’t you think?
 They may arrest me for no reason if they don’t like my face or whatever:
 so what happens then?”

The promoter asked to remain anonymous as did another DJ who revealed
 that the case has already caused one sponsor to pull out of Dubai’s
 upcoming Muzik Week conference.

“As an isolated case, it's unlikely to have an impact but what’s more
 likely to cause problems is if the UAE keep detaining people who have
 0.0003 grams of cannabis on their shoe (you can't even see it, let alone
 smoke it,” he pointed out. “Or if they keep stopping people for having
 3 - count them, 3 - poppy seeds on their person.

These cases are utterly ludicrous and are being reported worldwide,
 which can have a seriously negative impact on tourism here, which is
 important because much of the country's wealth comes from tourism,” he said.

“I feel for Grooverider personally, he's a big name DJ and by all
 accounts a cool guy - I can’t imagine what he must be going through being in
 prison,” he added.

“In general everybody is sympathetic with him here, although there are
 some people mumbling that he should have known better, as his peers has
 been here many times and they fully aware of the laws, which is true.
 He should've been warned more in advance.”

In more Dubai news, Grooverider’s cellmate Big Brother TV executive Cat
 Le-Huy also appears likely to receive a four year sentence after UAE
 officials tested  microscopic particles of dirt in his bag and claimed
 that one speck was cannabis.

The longhaired Endemol employee was first seized several weeks ago for
 carrying suspicious over-the-counter jetlag pills though is now being
 charged with possessing 0.001 grams of cannabis (a speck literally
 smaller than a grain of sugar and invisible to the naked eye). He’s also now
 being held in Dubai’s notorious Al Wathba Central Prison though his
 partner Mil said he’s ‘holding up’ despite being incarcerated in
 terrifying conditions.

The detainees here all look out for each other. They're a good bunch of
 guys, it's not like they're criminals or anything." Indeed. He says
 he's befriended a sixty-year-old man from Arkansas who's in there for
 similarly trumped up charges, and Grooverider, amongst others,” she said.

http://m1e.net/c?79527499-SHMpq2kHgCKE6%403129533-oWQt.Vh5c8qE2
 (‘Al-wathba prison in Abu Dhabi is notorious for its human rights abuse,
 stoning to death, lashings, overcrowding. Inmates sleep in cells designed
 for 8 which held 22 with 3 lice infested blankets on a cement floor . . .’)

Dubai Prisoner Links:

http://m1e.net/c?79527499-b3R88xbjN9wRQ%403129534-K0QcquQ3t/GKo (free
 Cat Le-Huy campaign)

http://m1e.net/c?79527499-WcmqWn5UjTBrM%403129535-WA71zTeOZZ5Bg (Cat
 Le-Huy updates)

http://m1e.net/c?79527499-MDsLwf.GXxJ1k%403129536-prBkw710ln2W2
 (Grooverider petition)

It is seriously FUCKING bullshit that people are being detained for Specks! That is megafucked!

A RADIO 1 DJ jailed for four years for smuggling cannabis hopes to be freed next month.

Grooverider – real name Raymond Bingham – was convicted after a small amount of the drug was found in his pocket when he flew to Dubai for a gig last November.

Speaking at Dubai Central Jail yesterday, the dance icon, 40 – wearing a white jump suit – said: “I’m doing okay. I hope to be out in a month’s time.”

He added: “The whole thing came as a total shock.”

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article894967.ece

says he hopes to be out soon. i bet every prisoner hopes to be out soon tho would be nice if they included some information as to why he may be released soon...

DJ held in Dubai jail pins hopes on pardon

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1037178/DJ-held-Dubai-jail-pins-hopes-pardon.html

A British DJ jailed in Dubai after being caught entering the country with a small amount of cannabis may be pardoned and released in September.

Grooverider, who co-presented a weekly show on Radio 1, was jailed during a trial in the Islamic emirate in February.

Three months earlier, the Londoner had been arrested at Dubai International Airport after two grams of the drug and a pornographic DVD were found in his luggage.

His lawyers said he was unaware of the law and that he would not have been arrested for carrying the same amount in the UK.

It was initially thought the DJ, whose real name is Raymond Bingham, could be freed as early as March.

Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed, traditionally pardons foreigners caught with small amounts of narcotics during religious holidays.

The pardon would have come during a period which coincided with the birthday of the prophet Mohammed.

But it never arrived and the DJ has been in Dubai Central Jail since.

Those close to the DJ feared his case was being used to spread Dubai's strictly zero-tolerance attitude to drugs.

The 43-year-old is included on a list of possible pardons which will be dealt with during Ramadan, which falls in September.

A spokesman for the DJ's management said: 'He's bearing up but desperate to get out.'

A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We provided consular assistance before the trial but have not had any direct input since.'

IMO Mohammed would have liked to have Grooverider out on his birthday so that the Grooverider could DJ at the birthday party.

I wonder if it's the same one he wore to Ultraworld a few years ago?