Sirtaj Singh Bhangal [2019] EWCA Crim 1342

The appellant appealed against the imposition of an 8 year extended sentence. He pleaded guilty to two offences of intimidation, breach of a restraining order and possession of an imitation firearm. He received 3 years for the breach and intimidation offences concurrent to the extended sentence for the firearm offence which comprised a 6 year custodial term.

The offences involved a single victim with whom the appellant had become fixated. He threatened her in a phone call following his conviction for harassing her. He then left an 80 page letter at her home address, described as a “truly vile document”. It contained threats to her, as well as her friends and family, warning her against appearing at court in respect of the first allegation of intimidation and claiming she was under surveillance. The police recovered a bag from behind her house containing images of acid, grenades, firearms and swords, and similar footage was found at the appellant’s address.

Held: the Recorder adopted a somewhat unstructured approach to the matter of sentence, but he was plainly right to view the offending as serious and to conclude the appellant satisfied the dangerousness provisions. All in all, this was disgraceful and highly disturbing offending which richly deserved a substantial sentence. The appeal was dismissed.