Darren Desira appeal prepared before Judge Pace controversy - defence

Darren Desira, the man at the centre of the Judge Ray Pace bribery allegations filed an appeal from his 18-year jail term today. His defence counsel, Giannella de Marco, said the appeal was mostly prepared  before the Judge Pace controversy broke out. She said that following the developments in the Judge Ray Pace case, she also added, in the appeal, a call for the annulment of the proceedings against Desira.  Desira was jailed for 18 years and fined €50,000 by Mr Justice Lawrence Quintano after admitting involvement in the importation of drugs. Prosecutors in the Judge Pace case are alleging that a drug gang put pressure on Judge Pace to influence the other judge to impose a long jail term on Desira. Dr de Marco said the appeal was based, among other things, on the fact that in similar cases, the accused had been granted a lesser sentence than what was given to her client. On the same day he was sentenced, someone who did not admit and underwent a trial by jury had been condemned for far less than her client. Furthermore, when one admitted, a third of the possible sentence was usually deducted.