A British man was spared the death penalty but jailed...

A British man was spared the death penalty but jailed for life in Thailand for smuggling 4kg of heroin out of the country. Julian Gilbey, 35, avoided the death sentence, normally mandatory for drug trafficking in Thailand, because he admitted smuggling but claimed he thought he was carrying diamonds. UK Liberal Democrat MP Alan Reid said the Bangkok court had found the Scot guilty on the basis of a signed confession that had been written for him in Thai and not translated into English.