R v Rolf Hermann Sperr País/Territorio Reino Unido Tipo de la corte Nacional - corte superior Fecha Apr 11, 1991 Fuente UNEP, InforMEA Nombre del tribunal Court of Appeal Idioma Inglés Materia Especies silvestres y ecosistemas Resumen The appellant pleaded guilty to being knowingly concerned in fraudulently evading the prohibition on the importation of a prohibited species of endangered falcon. He was stopped while entering the country with his car, which was found to contain four young birds of prey, Gyr falcons, worth between GBP 10,000 - 15,000 each. The appellant was stopped at the customs point at Eastern Docks, Dover, in June 2010, by customs officers who searched and found the said material intended for trafficking. A seat of the car was adapted, by taking out the foam, to hide the said material. In answer to the customs officer, the appellant admitted that he thought it was illegal to import the birds. He was subsequently arrested. He said he had obtained the materials in Germany and that he had been offered the German equivalent of GBP 600 plus expenses to bring them into the country although he had not at the time of his arrest been paid anything. He went on to say that he was instructed to deliver them to another person who would approach him in a parking place outside the customs area at Dover. He had no knowledge of the identity of that person. The appellant was convicted on the one count and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment. He now appeals this sentence, raising the contention that there should not have been any custodial sentence at all, and if so 18 months is far too extensive for the offence committed. He also submits that in any event, his role in this particular enterprise was a very humble one. Judgement: The Court reasoned that for purposes of deterrence, custodial sentence of some length was inevitable and was properly regarded by the learned judge. The Court draws attention to the appellant's good character, the fact that this was an isolated incident, that he has lost his job in consequence of it, and that not only has he got nothing out of it but he has suffered the loss of GBP 2,000 to which was already referred above. As such, the Court reasoned that an appropriate sentence for this offence was one of nine months instead of 18, and as such the sentence of 18 months is quashed and substituted for a sentence of nine months. (Provided by: UNODC SHERLOC) Texto completo UK-1.pdf Página web www.unodc.org