British academic Matthew Hedges jailed for life in UAE for spying

Durham University PhD student Matthew Hedges and his wife Daniela Tejada.

A British academic has been sentenced to life in prison for spying in the United Arab Emirates, according to a family spokeswoman.

Matthew Hedges, 31, and a specialist in Middle Eastern studies at Durham University in England, was arrested on May 5 by UAE officials when he was leaving Dubai airport after a research trip. He had previously been held in solitary confinement for almost six months on spying allegations, but was released on bail last month.

Nikita Bernardi, a spokeswoman for the Hedges family, said that Hedges had been sentenced to "life in prison following a five-minute hearing in which he had no legal representation."