Pakistan's tainted trio in spot-fixing sent to Jail

 

Butt, 27, was sentenced to two and a half years, Asif, 28, was handed a one-year term, while the 19-year-old Amir was sentenced to six months in the young offenders' detention center instead of jail.

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and two of his teammates -pacers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were on Thursday sentenced to jail for their role in the spot-fixing scandal, making them the first cricketers ever to be imprisoned for corruption.

Players' agent Mazhar Majeed got the strongest punishment as he was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison by Judge Jeremy Cooke after a trial that ran for close to three weeks at the Southwark Crown Court here.

The convicted four can appeal against their sentences which came into force with immediate effect. Butt has made it clear that he will appeal against the 30-month jail term.

"On behalf of Salman Butt I simply want to confirm that he will be appealing the sentence and launching grounds of appeal against it in the next 24 hours," his lawyer Paul Harris said.

Amir's barrister Henry Blaxland QC said he intended to apply for bail later pending an appeal against his sentence.

"'It's not cricket' was an adage. It is the insidious effect of your actions on professional cricket and the followers of it which make the offenses so serious," said Justice Cooke in his sentencing remarks.

"The image and integrity of what was once a game, but is now a business is damaged in the eyes of all, including the many youngsters who regarded three of you as heroes and would have given their eye teeth to play at the levels and with the skill that you had", he said