Upton Park gang robber’s jail time cut by Appeal Court over fresh mitigation

A gang member jailed for his part in a series of raids on mobile phone shops has won a cut in his sentence because of fresh information which has come to light.

Alexander Okafor has had 12 months knocked off his six-year term and will only serve half before qualifying for automatic release, the Appeal Court has ruled.

The 24-year-old from Upton Park in east London admitted robbery, burglary and handling stolen goods when he appeared in the dock last year.

He was one of eight men sentenced at Kingston Upon Thames Crown Court for raids in 2010 at stores across London, Essex and Hertfordshire.

But the Appeal Court has reduced his sentence to five years on the basis that “significant information on personal mitigation” had now been presented which had not been available to the crown court judge.

Appeal judge Mr Justice Irwin said the information had “a significant impact of the understanding of Okafor’s position”—but did not elaborate. Okafor now serves half his reduced sentence and will be released after two-and-a-half years.