British coke girls must wait

TWO British teenage girls found guilty of trying to smuggle cocaine out of Ghana have had their sentencing delayed for a second time.

Yasemin Vatansever and Yatunde Diya, both 16 and from north London, are now due to learn their fate on January 23 to allow the court time to consider a social services report.

The girls, who were arrested in July at Kotoka Airport in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, had expected to be sentenced today.

Some 6kg of cocaine - said to have a street value of about £300,000 - was found in two laptop computer bags in their luggage.

They claimed they did not know about the drugs, but were convicted at a closed hearing of a juvenile court in Ghana in November.

Catherine Wolthuizen, chief executive of Fair Trials International, which is supporting the pair, said the delay was "encouraging".

The court had asked for a comprehensive social workers' report on the girls as required under Ghanaian law, she said.

"This is an encouraging sign, as it demonstrates that the court is ensuring it is properly informed as to the particular circumstances of the girls before it determines an appropriate sentence for them," she said.

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The girls, who are facing up to three years' detention, were originally due to be sentenced last month.

Ms Wolthuizen said: "It is our strong view that a custodial sentence would be counter-productive to the girls' rehabilitation, and that there are very compelling mitigating circumstances which the court should take into account.

"These include the particular vulnerability of the girls, their lack of any previous criminal record, their youth and their status as pawns in a larger operation, run by other parties who have not yet been caught or prosecuted.

"The girls have already spent seven months in prison, and the widespread attention which their arrest and trial have attracted has served as sufficient international warning of Ghana's determination to clamp down on drug trafficking."

It is unlikely the girls will be allowed to serve any of their sentence in the UK as there is no transfer agreement between the UK and Ghana.

But if detained they will be placed in youth detention away from adult prisoners.

Officials from Ghana's Narcotics Control Board have said the girls were being paid £3,000 each to carry the bags on a flight to Britain.

They said their air tickets were bought by men who also paid for the girls' accommodation and food in Ghana.