UAE | Crime
Austin 'worried and stressed' in court
American hip-hop producer Dallas Austin stepped into courtroom number nine before standing in the dock "worried and stressed" to hear the ruling on his cocaine case on Tuesday at 9.02am.
- By Bassam Za'za', staff reporter
- Published: 00:00 July 5, 2006
Dubai: American hip-hop producer Dallas Austin stepped into courtroom number nine before standing in the dock "worried and stressed" to hear the ruling on his cocaine case on Tuesday at 9.02am.
"The Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced Dallas Austin to four years in jail for possessing drugs for personal use, followed by deportation," pronounced presiding judge Mahmoud Al Sharshabi.
Later in the day he was pardoned.
Shortly before judge Al Sharshabi started the hearing, the 34-year-old songwriter looked nervous when he popped his head from behind a small window which overlooks the courtroom.
Austin was called into the hall ... the jail guards opened the side door and he stepped into the dock. He was wearing a navy blue sport's jacket and blue jeans.
The judge read out the ruling in Arabic, but unlike Saturday's hearing, there was no translator available to translate the verdict to Austin. It was quite obvious that Austin could not understand the ruling in Arabic.
He had pleaded guilty to possessing 1.26 grammes of cocaine and five-and-a-half capsules containing cocaine and a MDM drug before the court last Saturday.
He said he knows that possessing and using cocaine is forbidden and he "did not intend to use it in the UAE" and that he brought it into the country by "mistake".
His legal representative in the UAE, Mohammad Al Redha, told the court that his client possessed drugs for personal use "but not inside the country".
Dallas Austin, rather than being an artist in his own right, is a behind-the-scenes producer and writer and one who comes from the very top rank.
The 34-year-old father of four has conjured up hits for Madonna, Michael Jackson, Texas, TLC, Sugababes and Blu Cantrell to name but a few.
Born in Columbus, Georgia, in 1972, Austin first showed his musical ability as a child, playing everything from the harmonica to the drums.
And the African American was just 16 when he had his first big hit, the Joyce Irby single Mr DJ, which reached No 2 on the Billboard R&B charts.
Since then has produced a steady stream of hit singles and albums.
Among his credits are most of the songs on Boyz II Men's Cooleyhighharmony long player, which sold over 10 million copies and earned Austin the
Top Producer of the Year award from Billboard in 1991. Austin, who is married, has his own recording studio, Dallas Austin Recording Projects, in Atlanta, and formed his own record label, Rowdy Records, in 1992.
Four years ago he acted as the executive producer and musical director of the 20th Century Fox film, Drumline.
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