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A British man said to be suffering from bipolar disorder is set to be executed in China for smuggling heroin. North Londoner Akmal Shaikh, 51, suffers from delusions as part of his condition according to legal charity Reprieve.
Reprieve says Mr Shaikh travelled to China to get a record contract for a song he had written which he believed would usher in world peace.
The father of three was targeted by a gang of drug dealers who saw him as someone who could be easily manipulated, the charity said on its website.
The gang apparently promised to help him record his song and travelled to the airport with him on the pretence of catching a flight.
But, when they arrived, the leader of the gang reportedly told Mr Shaikh there was only one seat left on board, and asked him if he would take his suitcase for him when he flew.
Mr Shaikh was arrested in Urumqi in China’s western Xinjiang region in possession of 4kg of heroin.
He said he did not know the drug was in the bag and appealed against his conviction.
Gordon Brown telephoned Chinese premier Wen Jiabao urging him to take Mr Shaikh’s mental health into account when considering the appeal.
But the appeal has been rejected and Mr Shaikh’s execution looks set to go ahead.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: “We can confirm that Chinese authorities have informed us that Akmal Shaikh is due to be executed on 29 December. We are alarmed and deeply concerned at this news.”
A medical report from Dr Peter Schaapveld, a forensic psychologist, said it was very likely that Mr Shaikh’s strange behaviour would have been “influenced or caused by” a mental illness.
Mr Shaikh would become the first EU national to be executed in China in 50 years.
Yeah right … a likely story. They ALL claim that it was nothing to do with them and they were just innocently carrying this case / bag / box / gift for a “friend” who they mysteriously met a few days previously.
Well his alleged suffering from ‘delusions’ will soon be over – with a bullet in the back of the head…… and hopefully, in accordance with their tradition, the Chinese authorities will send a bill for the bullet to his relatives.
A bullet in the back of the head would put paid to drug dealers over here as well – pity the bleeding heart liberals won’t allow it.
Shame he wasnt a child killer though to be honest if it was a female child the chinese would probably do nowt about it
You reall have got to hand it to the Chinese when it comes to dealing with criminals eh?
I mean. they don’t muck around with years and years of drawn out appeal after drawn out appeal … all in the sense of ‘fairness’ of course.
The guy gets one in the back of the head tomorrow ….. BANG … just like that!!! Oh, and they don’t tell them beforehand either (to save the additional cost of a ‘special’ meal ???).
They sent in his relatives today to say good bye. “Goodbye” he said “Why???”. “Oh didn’t they tell you??? You’re being executed tomorrow”.
That’ll teach him not to smuggle FOUR Kilos of uncut heroin into China eh?
@pete wrote:
Shame he wasnt a child killer though to be honest if it was a female child the chinese would probably do nowt about it
had he not been cought he might well of ended up a child killer , hes heroin could of killed a child
If you can’t do the time don’t do the crime. Simples.
When will they learn that NOT all countries justice system is as soft as the UK’s.
@tinkerbell wrote:
Well, I could justify this if he had murdered somebody but if he does have this bipolar disorder then surely he can’t be accountable for his own actions. I think it is unfair to be honest. Jailing people like this would give the same end result of them not being able to sell their drugs, bearing in mind that they should be given a lengthy sentence.
Yes, well they ALL have bi-polar disorder (or something similar) but this is only discovered AFTER they’ve been sentenced for a crime. Surprise that, eh?
As for life imprisonment … why should the Chinese (or anybody else for that matter) have to pay loads of money to keep someone like this imprisoned and fed etc for years? A bullet in the back of the head is so much more efficient.
Oh and the best bit ….. it costs the Chinese authorities nothing, as they charge the relatives for the cost of the bullet.
I`m not sure what I feel about this, but what did surprise me is that they shoot the person in the back of the head as it enables them to use the organs for transplants.
He was executed by lethal injection, he wasn’t shot.
Yes I noticed this as well – reported by Reuters this afternoon. Maybe they sent an invoice for the syringe etc instead of the bullet.
I have also, as a result of today’s press report, come to the reluctant conclusion that he clearly was deranged.
Apparently ‘Reprieve’, a bleeding heart anti any sort of punishment organisation, posted on the Internet a recording Shaikh made of a song, “Come Little Rabbit,” which it said he believed would be an international hit and help bring about world peace.
If he really believed this, then he clearly was a world class nutter ….. and the Chinese did as all a favour by topping him.
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