British student Matthew Hedges has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of spying<\/b>
\nForeign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned of \u201crepercussions\u201d after a United Arab Emirates court on Wednesday sentenced British student Matthew Hedges to life in jail having convicted him of spying.
\u201cI am deeply shocked and disappointed,\u201d said Hunt. \u201cToday\u2019s verdict is not what we expect from a friend and trusted partner of the United Kingdom and runs contrary to earlier assurances.\u201d
The minister warned the UAE that \u201cthe handling of this case\u2026 will have repercussions for the relationship between our two countries, which has to be built on trust\u201d.
\u201cI regret the fact that we have reached this position and I urge the UAE to reconsider,\u201d he added.
Prime Minister Theresa May told lawmakers that she was \u201cdeeply disappointed\u201d by the ruling, adding that her government would continue to press the matter at the highest level with the UAE.
Hunt said he had personally raised the case during a visit to Abu Dhabi on November 12, when he met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed.
May said Hunt was seeking a call with the foreign minister.
Hedges, a 31-year-old PhD student at Durham University in northern England, was researching the UAE\u2019s foreign and internal security policies after the Arab Spring revolutions of 2011.
He was detained at Dubai airport on May 5.<\/p>\n

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