At a recent appearance in the Court Martial Appeal Court, Matthew Bolt and Ben Douglas-Jones KC successfully argued that the sentence of 9 years imposed on a former Sergeant by the Court Martial was excessive. Giving the judgment Edis LJ concluded:
We consider that in increasing the sentence from the guideline starting point to 9 and a half years before making a reduction for mitigation, the Board did give excessive weight to aggravating factors. Most importantly, we conclude that the mitigation was undervalued by the sentence that was imposed… The personal mitigation arises from long and distinguished service in the army, serving the country in times of need, from the impact on his family of his imprisonment and there is also an element of mitigation to be found in the very substantial financial loss from his career and pension.
Ben Douglas-Jones KC and Matthew Bolt were instructed by Chris Cannon of Frame Smith LLP. Matthew appears regularly in the Courts Martial and appeal courts alongside his Crown Crown practice in serious crime, and can be instructed through our criminal clerking team via crime@cornwallstreet.co.uk.