Mohammed Asghar, who has history of mental illness, convicted of blasphemy after claiming to be prophet Muhammad

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

A Pakistani court has convicted a British man with a history of mental illness of blasphemy and sentenced him to death.

The prosecutor Javed Gul said Mohammed Asghar had been arrested in Rawalpindi in 2010 for claiming to be the prophet Muhammad. He said a judge sentenced Asghar, who is of Pakistani origin, on Thursday.

His legal team in Pakistan said he suffered from mental illness and that they would appeal against the conviction.

Scores of people have been arrested under Pakistan's harsh blasphemy laws, which rights groups say are too broad and vague. The penalty can be life imprisonment or death, although the latter is rarely carried out in Pakistan.