A man who was jailed for 12 years for two robberies and an attempted robbery is planning to appeal against the length of his sentence.
Michael Youssefi, 43, was given a separate four-year sentence for each of the three offences, to be served consecutively, by Recorder John Hardy at Brighton Crown Court last month. To read our report of the sentencing, click here.
Youssefi, of Seven Acre Close, in St Leonards, held up the Day Lewis Pharmacy, in Mount Pleasant Road, Hastings, in May 2022.
In April this year, he tried to rob a branch of Boots, in Eastbourne Road, Pevensey, bur was seen off by a boy of 15. Later the same day, he robbed a branch of Kamsons Pharmacy, in Victoria Drive, Eastbourne,
Youssefi’s lawyer, Aidan Harvey, of Richard Body Law, said: “The grounds of appeal are that 12 years in total was manifestly excessive.
“The four years for the individual offence may be slightly high but not appealable. When sentencing for a string of offences, however, ‘totality’ is an issue.
“Having considered the guidelines for each count, the judge should step back and consider the overall sentence to be served.
“It is not simply adding the individual sentences together and imposing the sum of all parts.”
Mr Harvey told the court at the sentencing hearing last month that his client had a prosthetic limb after losing a leg when he fell from a roof. He also had rods in his spine.
He continued to suffer from pain and was prescribed oxycodone, a synthetic opioid, but was not warned that it was highly addictive.
Youssefi succumbed to an addiction, the court was told, and he did not respond well when told that his dose would be reduced.
He went into three pharmacies on two different dates and demanded oxycodone – and specifically a slow-release version of the powerful drug.
Mr Harvey said: “I don’t try to minimise the seriousness of the offence and, more importantly, nor does he.
“He pulled – or possessed – a knife when threatening staff at the chemists and caused them real fear.
“He was challenged by a 15-year-old boy on one of the occasions and ran off.”
Youssefi pleaded guilty to all three offences and accepted his guilt but Mr Harvey said: “The issue is the danger posed by oxycodone and other synthetic opioids.
“Synthetic opioids are a real scourge. I have clients who abuse it without prescription. And we have all seen the documentaries from America where people are dying because of minute overdoses.
“The really frightening thing is that unscrupulous dealers are now cutting it with ‘recreational’ drugs, catching the unaware with horrendous addiction issues.
“In his case, however, it appears to have been prescribed by doctors without a warning of its addictive nature and there seems to have been no follow up to properly manage my client.
“This is not a question of pointing a finger at the NHS. It is more, perhaps, in hope that someone takes note and reviews the way in which it is administered.
“He became so addicted so quickly and it led him to a place where his need was greater than the risk of being caught.
“As I say, he is not critical of the justice system and, to be honest, he is not critical of the NHS.
“But the short-term relief that these drugs can provide can also have serious long-term consequences.”
