Bahmanzadeh, Manochehr

Manochehr Bahmanzadeh was convicted in July 2008 of permitting premises to be used for supplying a controlled drug of Class A. Mr Bahmanzadeh received a sentence of nine years’ imprisonment.

The CCRC received an application for review of the conviction and sentence in January 2011.

Mr Bahmanzadeh was the owner of The Dance Academy nightclub in Plymouth. In 2006, undercover police officers carried out a series of test purchases of ecstasy tablets from dealers in the club.

That evidence formed part of the prosecution’s case that Mr Bahmanzadeh was aware that drugs were being sold in his club and that he allowed it to happen.

Mr Bahmanzadeh pleaded not guilty to the charges; his defence was that he had done all he reasonably could to prevent the supply of drugs and that he had neither permitted drugs to be supplied, nor turned a blind eye to drug dealing.

Mr Bahmanzadeh was sentenced on the basis that he deliberately permitted the premises to be used for the supply of drugs in order to boost the reputation of the club and increase its profits.

Having carried out a detailed investigation of the case, the CCRC decided to refer the conviction to the Court of Appeal because it considered that new evidence regarding the credibility and reliability of witness testimony gave rise to a real possibility that the Court of Appeal would quash Mr Bahmanzadeh’s conviction.

The CCRC also referred Mr Bahmanzadeh’s sentence to the Court of Appeal because it considered that, even if the Court upheld the conviction, there was a real possibility that it would reduce the sentence.

The CCRC referred the conviction and sentence in January 2012.

The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction but reduced the sentence in November 2012.