A MAN who once asked the Royal Court to grant him a medieval ‘trial by combat’ has lost a Court of Appeal challenge against his conviction and 7½-year sentence.
Darius Pearce, who used his Central Market jewellery business to launder a drug gang’s cash to the UK, yesterday indicated that he would look to launch a fresh appeal – this time in the Supreme Court.
Pearce, who has represented himself throughout, was arrested after the gang attempted to smuggle almost £1 million-worth of drugs by yacht into an east-coast bay.
However, they were unaware that Customs and States police officers had been watching their every move for months.
This week, Pearce appeared before the Court of Appeal to set out the grounds of his challenge, arguing that the prosecution had failed to make its case and there was no case to answer.
Challenging the length of his sentence, Pearce said there should have been a Newton hearing to analyse the evidence against him and that there had been a significant disparity between his sentence and the one imposed upon his co-accused.
However, Court of Appeal judge Lord David Anderson, appearing via video link from the UK, rejected all of the appellant’s grounds.
Lord David drew particular attention to a legal argument brought by Pearce about the semantics and wording of the proceeds of crime law, saying the court had: ‘No hesitation in rejecting this submission, which is so strained as to be incomprehensible.’
At the end of the hearing Pearce indicated that he might seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court – the final court for launching an appeal. It is seldom used to determine Jersey cases.
The Bailiff Timothy Le Cocq was presiding. James McNeill was also sitting alongside Lord David. Advocate Jeremy Garrood was appointed to assist Pearce.
