Christopher Tappin jailed for 33 months in US arms case 9 January 2013 Last updated at 18:54 A retired British businessman who admitted arms dealing has been sentenced to 33 months in prison by a court in the US. He was also ordered to pay a fine of $11,357.14 (about £7,100). Judge Briones recommended that Tappin, of south-east London, should be allowed to serve his sentence in the UK. The final decision on whether he can return to the UK to serve his sentence rests with the US Bureau of Prisons, a court spokeswoman said. Tappin, from Orpington, is due to commence his sentence at the Allenwood prison in Pennsylvania and must turn himself in to start the term by 8 March. Following the sentencing Tappin's wife, Elaine, said she hoped he would have "the mental fortitude to cope with whatever lies before him in the months and years to come." The former director of Surrey-based Brooklands International Freight Services had previously denied attempting to sell batteries for surface-to-air missiles that were to be shipped from the US to Tehran via the Netherlands, saying he was the victim of an FBI sting.