A woman jailed for life in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for drugs offences lied about her name and nationality, reported the BBC.online Saturday.
Anne Kidd, 32, who claimed to be British, faces life in prison after being sentenced for "using and distributing drugs" by a court in Ras Al Khaimah last Sunday.
The British Foreign Office (FO) said that Kidd had used a false identity and was not even a British national.
An investigation has now been launched into how she managed to dupe the authorities, said the news service.
An FO spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that she's not who she said she was.
"Anne Kidd has no connection with the UK, although her passport showed she was born in Leeds.
"This will now be the subject of an investigation. She was given consular assistance but clearly this would not have happened had we known she was not British."
According to the BBC, the FO is aware of Kidd's true identity but will not release any details at present.
Kidd was jailed for life along with Anna Hamilton, also known as Anna Bartlett, 22, of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who was convicted of "using, trafficking and importing drugs" into the UAE.
After the verdicts, their lawyer said the pair were "relieved" to have escaped the death penalty.
Both were also ordered to pay the equivalent of £10,000.
Another Briton, Daniel Maalouf, 28, of London, was jailed for 10 years for intent to traffic in drugs.
The trio, plus Kidd's boyfriend Stacey Simpson, 25, and Emirates Airlines flight attendant Katherine Jenkins, 29, of Neath, south Wales, face further drug-related charges in Dubai, another of the seven countries that make up the UAE, said the BBC.
The FO has also confirmed that Simpson, who claimed to be from Leeds, was English but had also used a false identity and had no Yorkshire connections – Albawaba.com
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