Man jailed for carrying stash of drugs has his sentence cut by judge

A DOPEY dealer who turned up at a house surrounded by police while carrying his stash of crack and drugs money has had his sentence cut on appeal.

Reggie Fowell-Boston, 30, had 4.92g of crack cocaine hidden on his body and £3,810 of cash when he answered a call from a female friend.

She had barricaded herself into a house that the police were attempting to search.

Fowell-Boston, of Ashwood Court, Brownsover, Rugby, helped defuse the situation, climbing in through a window to talk the woman into unlocking the door.

But he then became aggressive to cops, “fronting up” to them. After his arrest, the drugs and money were discovered.

He was convicted of possession of crack cocaine with intent to supply and having criminal property.

He was jailed for seven years in July last year at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Judge Jeffrey Pegden QC, sitting at London’s Criminal Appeal Court, cut that sen- tence to six years. The judge, sitting with Mr Justice Cheema-Grubb and Lady Justice Rafferty, heard that Fowell-Boston denied being a dealer.

He claimed the stash of crack was a “bulk purchase” for his own personal use, but was disbelieved by the jury. He said he needed the drugs to “self-medicate” because he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder.

The cash, he claimed, was from legitimate sources.

Judge Pegden said that he had a bad previous record for serious offences, having served 10 years for robbery and six for possessing a handgun.

He had been sentenced as a “street dealer” but given a tougher term by the judge because of his serious criminal past.

His lawyers argued that the approach had been wrong and Fowell-Boston’s overall sentence was too tough.

Judge Pegden said: “We have concluded that to increase the sentence to the top of the range because of the previous convictions, when there were no other aggravating features, was too much.

“We are of the view that a sentence of six years should be substituted for the sentence of seven years and, to that extent, this appeal is allowed.”