The programme, which has broadcast without him since his arrest, will continue under the title Radio 1's Drum 'n' Bass Show With Fabio.The 40-year-old DJ, who co-hosts the weekly BBC drum-and-bass programme Fabio and Grooverider, His case is causing huge controversy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where strict laws rooted in conservative Islam sometimes clash with the liberal values of its expatriate citizens and the millions of tourists who visit every year.
Grooverider had been employed on a freelance basis and has not been paid by the station since November. Four years is the minimum sentence for drug trafficking in the UAE. In the last 12 months, 64 British nationals have been arrested in the UAE for drugs offences The DJ, who called his arrest "ridiculous" in an interview last month, has two weeks to appeal. "I must have forgotten the spliff," he said in the interview. "It was a small amount. Back home I would not even get prosecuted." Grooverider – whose real name is Raymond Bingham – was arrested at Dubai airport on November 23, hours before he was due to play a sold-out show at The Lodge, one of the Gulf state’s hottest clubs.Grooverider, who made his name DJing at illegal warehouse parties, is recognised as a pioneer of the abrasive style of dance music known as “drum and bass”. He is a recording artist and record label owner in his own right and an in-demand DJ on the international club circuit. His colleague Fabio will continue to present the Radio 1 show in his absence.
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