<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1654592398846,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"00000162-07c3-d172-a563-4febcc790000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1654592398846,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"00000162-07c3-d172-a563-4febcc790000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_54572986", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1026860"} }); ","_id":"00000181-3d64-df81-a381-7f7458260000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedA retired British geologist was sentenced by an Iraqi judge on Monday to 15 years in prison for attempting to smuggle ancient artifacts out of the country.
Jim Fitton, 66, was arrested in March after airport security in Baghdad discovered 12 pottery fragments and shards of other artifacts he had collected while visiting ancient sites in Iraq. Fitton argued in court that he intended to take the items as souvenirs, unaware of local laws, and had no intention to sell them. The verdict shocked Fitton’s lawyer, who said the British citizen had no idea of the severity of the crime or the value of the artifacts.
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“I thought the worst case scenario would be one year, with suspension,” Thair Soud, Fitton’s lawyer, told the Associated Press.
In court, Soud argued that Fitton was ignorant of Iraqi laws regarding the theft of antiquities. Soud explained to the judge that Fitton waited weeks after his arrest before hiring a lawyer, unaware of how serious the charges against him were.
Fitton had collected the artifacts, some of which may date back to 1,800 B.C., while visiting Eridu, an ancient Mesopotamian site, as part of a tour group, according to the Associated Press.
A German man on the tour, Volker Waldman, was also arrested and charged with attempting to steal antiquities but was found not to have had criminal intent as he was holding items for Fitton, and he will be released.
Their tour guide, a British citizen in his 80s, was also arrested after being found with over 20 artifacts in his possession, but he died in police custody. The tour guide was in poor health, and his death was unrelated to his detention, according to the Associated Press.
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Under Iraqi laws governing the theft of antiquities, smuggling items out of Iraq more than 1,500 years old could result in the death penalty.
Soud told the Associated Press that Fitton will appeal the verdict.
