Wrongly Convicted Database

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James Cottle

Years Imprisoned:	2
Charge:	Bombing
Sentence:	18 yrs
Year Convicted:	2002
Year Cleared:	2003
Location of Trial:	Saudi Arabia
Result:	Pardoned
Summary of Case:	One of the Saudi Six. Wrongly convicted British expatriate living in Saudi Arabia of being involved in a bombing in Saudi Arabia. One of 6 co-defendants who all deny they voluntarily confessed on Saudi television to the bombing. All the men claim to have been tortured, and all 6 confessions use similar words. Cottle doesn't speak Arabic, and he wasn't provided with an interpreter fluent enough to have translated the confession he allegedly made from English to Arabic. Pardoned on August 8, 2003 and immediately deported to the UK.
Conviction Caused By:	False confession - he was tortured and since the interpreter translating his alleged confession speaks poor English, it is unknown if he actually confessed to the bombings on Saudi television, or if the 'interpreter' simply said he did. The bombings continued after the arrest of Cottle and his 5 codefendants so they obviously weren't the bombers.
Innocence Proved By:
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Found?
Age When Imprisoned:	50
Age When Released:
Information Source 1:	"Suspects in Saudi blasts Claim Their Innocence: as bombings continue, some question expatriates 'confessions,'" Susan Taylor Martin (St. Petersburg Times), Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 11-5-02, p. A4."
Information Location 1:	http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/94190_saudi05.shtml
Information Source 2:	Saudi six 'left to rot', Paul Harris (staff), The Guardian (London, UK), Feb. 16, 2003
Information Location 2:	http://www.guardian.co.uk/saudi/story/0,11599,896776,00.html
Information Source 3:	Greed and torture at the House of Saud, Staff, The Observer, Nov. 24, 2002
Information Location 3:	http://observer.guardian.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4553603,00.html
Information Source 4:	Saudis release eight Westerners jailed in bombings, Ed Johnson, AP London, August 9, 2003
Information Location 4:	http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=saudifree09&date=20030809&query=cottle
Information Source 5:	Saudis free bomb blast Britons, Staff and Agencies, The Guardian, London UK, August 8, 2003
Information Location 5:	http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1014880,00.html
Ethnicity/Skin:	White
Book About Case:
Book Information:
Book About Case (2):
Book Information (2):
Movie About Case:
Comments About Case:	Falsely confessed

James Cottle

Years Imprisoned:

2

Charge:

Bombing

Sentence:

18 yrs

Year Convicted:

2002

Year Cleared:

2003

Location of Trial:

Saudi Arabia

Result:

Pardoned

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Innocence Proved By:

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Found?

Age When Imprisoned:

50

Age When Released:

Information Source 1:

"Suspects in Saudi blasts Claim Their Innocence: as bombings continue, some question expatriates 'confessions,'" Susan Taylor Martin (St. Petersburg Times), Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 11-5-02, p. A4."

Information Location 1:

Information Source 2:

Saudi six 'left to rot', Paul Harris (staff), The Guardian (London, UK), Feb. 16, 2003

Information Location 2:

Information Source 3:

Greed and torture at the House of Saud, Staff, The Observer, Nov. 24, 2002

Information Location 3:

Information Source 4:

Saudis release eight Westerners jailed in bombings, Ed Johnson, AP London, August 9, 2003

Information Location 4:

Information Source 5:

Saudis free bomb blast Britons, Staff and Agencies, The Guardian, London UK, August 8, 2003

Information Location 5:

Ethnicity/Skin:

White

Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case:

Falsely confessed