Jail for Asif, Butt and Amir
London, November 3, 2011 (AFP) - A British decide jailed disgraced former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt, 2 of his bowlers and their agent Thursday for his or her half in an exceedingly take a look at match-fixing scandal that rocked the international game.
Butt, 27, looked aghast as he was sentenced to thirty months in jail at London's Southwark Crown Court, where he and quick bowler Mohammad Asif were found guilty on Tuesday of fixing components of a take a look at match against England in August 2010.
Asif, 28, was jailed for a year, whereas 19-year-old bowler Mohammad Aamer, who had pleaded guilty to involvement within the scam to pre-arrange no-balls for shadowy South Asian betting rings, was sentenced to 6 months.
Corrupt British agent Mazhar Majeed, 36, who had additionally pleaded guilty however had denied he had initiated the scam, was given 2 years and eight months. "These offences, notwithstanding pleas, are thus serious that solely a sentence of imprisonment can suffice," decide Jeremy Cooke told the four men, adding that they'd every serve 0.5 their sentences and then be released on licence.
He said the 3 players were motivated by greed despite the massive amounts of cash they may earn legitimately, and said he hoped the robust sentences would deter future cricketers from following their example.
They decide additionally condemned the impact their actions had on the sport of cricket "the terribly name of that used to be related to honest dealing". "It's the insidious impact of your actions on skilled cricket... that create the offences thus serious," he told the court.
Cooke said folks had regarded the 3 players as "heroes", however they "procured the bowling of 3 no-balls for cash to the detriment of your national cricket team". "Now, whenever folks reminisce on a shocking event in an exceedingly game or a shocking result or whenever, within the future, there are shocking events or results, followers of the sport who paid smart cash... are led to ponder whether there has been a fix," he said.
"What was to be honest, sporting competition might not be such in the least. In Pakistan, where cricket is that the national sport, the standard follower of the national team feels betrayed by your activities. You, Butt, Asif and Aamer have upset all of your supporters and followers of the sport."
The world of cricket has reacted with dismay to the worst fixing scandal since South Africa captain Hanse Cronje in 2000, however welcomed the convictions as the simplest way of sending a very important message that cheats wouldn't be tolerated.
The ICC has already banned Butt for ten years with 5 suspended, Asif for seven years with 2 suspended, and Aamer for 5 years straight once finding them guilty of corruption in February. They’re all appealing the bans.
The scam was uncovered by the now-defunct News of the globe, the tabloid owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and pack up in July over a scandal involving its journalists' role within the illegal hacking of voicemails.
At a hearing on Wednesday, lawyers for all the defendants had exchanged claims and counter-allegations in an exceedingly bid to scale back their clients' sentences, that might have seen them jailed for a most of seven years.
Majeed claimed that the extent of the corruption within the Pakistan team went beyond this case.
The agent's lawyer said he had paid out sixty five, 000 pounds to Asif, 10,000 pounds to Butt and a pair of, 500 pounds to Aamer, explaining that the larger quantity was paid to Asif to make sure he failed to switch to a different fixing racket.
Lawyers for Butt and Asif had dismissed the claims regarding the money.
In a statement scan to the court, Aamer claimed he had feared for his future within the national facet if he failed to get entangled, however said: "I wish to apologise to Pakistan and to everybody that cricket is very important to. I do savvy abundant harm this has done to the sport, the sport that I really like furthermore, quite anything within the world."
