Importer of 'crack' has jail term cut

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 gardaí at
Dún 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 gardaí 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 cooperation with the authorities.