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IN THE COURT OF APPEAL CRIMINAL DIVISION Neutral Citation NO: [2023] EWCA Crim 775 CASE NOs 202200108/B3 & 202202103/B3 |
Royal Courts of Justice
Strand
London
WC2A 2LL
Before:
LORD JUSTICE LEWIS
MR JUSTICE MORRIS
SIR NIGEL DAVIS
REX
V
A.R.B
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MR T MOLONEY appeared on behalf of the Applicant
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J U D G M E N T
LORD JUSTICE LEWIS: We order pursuant to section 11 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 that there be no publication of the name of the applicant or of any matter that could identify him or his family.
On 20 May 2022 in the Crown Court at Luton, the applicant, whom we will refer to as "A", was convicted of various offences involving the importation or conspiracy to supply class A drugs, namely cocaine. He was sentenced to 17 years' imprisonment for each of two offences of conspiracy to supply a class A controlled drug (cocaine), those sentences to be served concurrently. He was sentenced to nine years for an offence of fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of drugs, 10 years for each of two offences of supplying class A drugs and nine years for another conspiracy to supply a class A drug, all to be served concurrently with the sentence of 17 years' imprisonment.
A was refused leave to appeal against conviction on the papers by the single judge. He was also refused leave to appeal against sentence. He renews those applications for leave. He also seeks an extension of time to make the application in relation to sentence. We grant that extension of time. No extension of time is needed in relation to the renewed application for leave to appeal against conviction.
We have received detailed submissions and detailed documentation from Mr Moloney on A's behalf. We have considered very carefully all of the matters raised in the papers put before us and all the submissions made orally on A's behalf by Mr Moloney this morning.
We are satisfied that there are no arguable grounds that the conviction is unsafe and that there are no arguable grounds that the sentences imposed in this case were manifestly excessive.
Accordingly, we refuse leave to appeal against conviction. While we grant an extension of time to renew the application for leave to appeal against sentence, we refuse that application.
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