A Jamaican who was jailed for seven years for importing £125,000 worth of crack cocaine into Ireland had his sentence reduced to five years yesterday after the Court of Criminal Appeal heard he had been stabbed in Mountjoy Jail. Alvin Clarke, of St Anne's, Montego Bay, Jamaica, was stabbed in July 1996 while on remand pending sentence.
On March 8th, 1996 Clarke and a woman companion were stopped by gardai at Dun Laoghaire en route to Britain. When Clarke was searched, a half kilo of crack cocaine was found in his underwear. A sum of £32,360 was also found on him. After his arrest, Clark told gardai he met a man on the Limerick to Dublin train who gave him a parcel to look after.
Presiding over the Court of Criminal Appeal yesterday, Mr Justice Barron said that notwithstanding the seriousness of the offence, he was taking into account the previous good conduct of the accused, the racial discrimination he had suffered and his co-operation with the authorities.