London welcomed Khmer Rouge verdict LONDON, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- A life sentence for the prison leader for the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia is an excellent outcome, London said. The U.N.-backed Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia sentenced Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, to life in prison for grave violations of the Geneva Conventions for atrocities committed under the Khmer Rouge regime. British Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne described the verdict as an excellent outcome. "Challenging impunity and ensuring accountability is a cornerstone of international justice, and is a core U.K. value," he said in a statement. The court overturned a previous sentence of 35 years in prison for the 69-year-old Duch. He would've been freed in 18 years, when he'd be in his late 80s, because of time served. The court said it linked Duch to the deaths of at least 12,000 people during his tenure as the prison chief for the Khmer Rouge. "The chamber noted that the high number of deaths for which Kaing Guek Eav is responsible, along with the extended period of time over which the crimes were committed, undoubtedly place this case among the gravest before international criminal tribunals," the court said in a statement. Duch was director of the notorious Tuol Sleng prison, or S-21, in Phnom Penh, during the 1970s. He claimed he wasn't a senior leader in the Khmer Rouge regime and faced death if he didn't carry out their wishes.