Woman drugs importer has sentenced reduced to 12 years
A Canadian woman who imported $1.7 million worth of heroin and cocaine into Bermuda had her jail sentence reduced from 15 years to 12 years yesterday.Janet Grant, 47, of Scarborough, Ontario, was arrested after she arrived on a WestJet flight from Toronto and the drugs were found in her hand luggage at LF Wade International Airport on October 21 2010.She pleaded guilty in February 2011 and when she was sentenced the following month her lawyer, Llewellyn Peniston said his “economically challenged” client was offered $5,000 by someone to bring the package into Bermuda but did not know what was inside it.Yesterday, Grant’s new lawyer, Elizabeth Christopher, presented to the Court of Appeal fresh evidence in the form of a psychiatric report and affidavits from the defendant’s family, and social worker in Canada. These documents were not available to the then Chief Justice, Richard Ground, when he decided upon the original sentence.Having considered the new evidence, the three judges of the court of appeal opted to reduce the sentence by three years on the basis of mental health issues experienced by Grant.