THE High Court in Suva has reduced a 39-year-old man’s 30-month prison sentence for drug possession to 11 months.
Justice Daniel Goundar allowed Krishneel Chandra’s sentence appeal but dismissed his appeal against conviction. Chandra had pleaded guilty to possessing 0.030 grams of methamphetamine on April 3, 2025, and was sentenced in April this year to 30 months’ imprisonment.
Justice Goundar found the magistrate erred by setting a 40-month starting point without justification, noting the drug quantity was a trace amount at the lowest end of Category 1.
Setting a new starting point of 30 months, Justice Goundar deducted 12 months for Chandra’s mitigation—including his first-offender status, family responsibilities, and employment—six months for his early guilty plea, and one month for remand time.
The final sentence was set at 11 months with an eight-month non-parole period.
Justice Goundar ruled out a suspended sentence, emphasising the need for deterrence in methamphetamine cases.
