The Court of Criminal Appeal increased Derek Long’s sentence to six years and suspended the final three years, citing the value of the drugs seized and what it described as significant exceptional circumstances.
In an ex tempore judgment delivered on 31 October 2008, the court said the case warranted a substantial sentence having regard to the value of the drugs. It also said there were specific and exceptional circumstances, detailed in a judgment delivered by the court and referred to during the hearing of the main appeal.
The court said it had that morning received further documents from the prison’s educational service and a psychologist. Those documents indicated that Long was making significant progress, the judgment said. The court said it was therefore disposed to accept at least part of Mr Gillane’s submission.
The court ordered that the sentence be increased to six years, with the last three years suspended in the unique circumstances of the case. The source does not state the original sentence, the amount or type of drugs, or the full details of the exceptional circumstances.