19 Oct 2018

Man behind meth ring in prison has sentence reduced

11:27 am on 19 October 2018

A man who was running a methamphetamine supply ring from inside Manawatu prison has had his sentence reduced by the Court of Appeal.

Brian Taylor was already serving 16 years for various convictions, including wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, when he began operating the ring.

Police found he had supplied more than 100g of the drug.

His sentence of five-and-a-half years was added to the earlier sentence, taking his total jail time to more than 21 years.

In a judgment released today, the Court of Appeal says that was a crushing sentence that leaves Taylor no hope of being reintegrated into society.

It has substituted a sentence of four years and one month, to be served on top of the earlier sentence.