Sentence reduced by Court of Appeal due to time spent in foreign prison

A man's sentence has been reduced by the Court of Appeal after time spent on remand in a foreign prison was not deducted.

Feezan Hameed was arrested in France in 2015 and spent 18 days in custody awaiting extradition to the United Kingdom.

He pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to convert and transfer criminal property in May 2016, and was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment in September 2016.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission referred Mr Hameed's case to the Court of Appeal as our review found the judge failed to deduct the time he spent in prison in France from his sentence.

The CCRC referral was on 23 June 2023, and the sentence was reduced by the Court of Appeal on 18 April 2024.

Notes to editor:

1. The CCRC is an independent body set up under the Criminal Appeal Act 1995. It is responsible for independently reviewing suspected and alleged miscarriages of criminal justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is based in Birmingham and is funded by the Ministry of Justice.    

2. There are currently 10 Commissioners who bring to the CCRC considerable experience from a wide variety of backgrounds. Commissioners are appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Prime Minister in accordance with the Office for the Commissioner for Public Appointments' Code of Practice.  The Chairman, who is also a Commissioner, is not involved in the casework decision-making process. 

3. The CCRC usually receives around 1,500 applications for reviews (convictions and/or sentences) each year. Since starting work in 1997, the CCRC has referred around 3% of applications to the appeal courts.    

4. The CCRC considers whether, as a result of new information or a new argument on a point of law, there is a real possibility that the sentence would not be upheld were a reference to be made. New information or argument on a point of law is argument or information which has not been raised during the original sentence hearing or on appeal.  Applicants should usually have appealed first. A sentence can be referred in the absence of an earlier appeal only if there are “exceptional circumstances”.    

5. If a case is referred, it is then for the appeal court to decide whether the sentence is unfair.    

6. More details about the role and work of the Criminal Cases Review Commission can be found at www.ccrc.gov.uk. The CCRC can be found on Twitter @ccrcupdate.