Wrongly Convicted Database

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Les Walker

Years Imprisoned:	2
Charge:	Bombing
Sentence:	12 yrs
Year Convicted:	2000
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. Also, the men weren't provided with an interpreter fluent enough to have translated the alleged confession from English to Arabic. Pardoned on August 8, 2003 and immediately deported to the UK.
Conviction Caused By:	False confession after being tortured.
Innocence Proved By:	Granted Executive Clemency by the Saudi government
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Found?
Age When Imprisoned:
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

Les Walker

Years Imprisoned:

2

Charge:

Bombing

Sentence:

12 yrs

Year Convicted:

2000

Year Cleared:

2003

Location of Trial:

Saudi Arabia

Result:

Pardoned

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

False confession after being tortured.

Innocence Proved By:

Granted Executive Clemency by the Saudi government

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Found?

Age When Imprisoned:

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