Drug dealer musician loses appeal hearing (From Swindon Advertiser)

Drug dealer musician loses appeal hearing

1:30pm Thursday 17th January 2013 in News

A musician who was jailed for peddling hard drugs on the streets of Swindon today failed in a Court of Appeal challenge to his "harsh" prison sentence.

Mishak Guichard-Foster, 23, who went by the name “Ash”, was caught out four times selling heroin to an undercover police officer in 2011.

He pleaded guilty to four counts of supplying the Class A drug and was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment at the town’s crown court last July.

Today, lawyers for Guichard-Foster argued that the sentence was too long, but had their case kicked out of the London court by three top judges.

The court heard that Guichard-Foster had moved to Cecil Avenue, Wembley, in London, after the offences in a bid to get away from drugs.

He found a job in the music industry and was attending college, showing just how dedicated he was to changing his life, appeal judges were told.

The sentencing judge in Swindon had been wrong to attribute a “significant role” in drugs crime to Guichard-Foster, his lawyers argued.

In fact, he had himself been a user who worked for more serious criminals, meeting up with customers and selling them wraps of heroin.

However, Judge Brian Barker QC, sitting with Lord Justice Jackson and Mr Justice Globe, said: “While the appellant's sentence may have been harsh, it is not reasonably arguable that it was manifestly excessive.”