A court clerk who made legal history when he became the first person to be jailed under new bribery legislation appeals against his sentence today.
Munir Patel, 22, used his privileged access to the court system to help more than 50 offenders avoid prosecution relating to driving offences in exchange for sums of up to £500, London's Southwark crown court was told.
In November Patel, of Green Lane, Dagenham, east London, was handed a three-year prison term for bribery and ordered to serve six years concurrently for misconduct in a public office.
Jailing him, Judge Alistair McCreath said the sentence was designed to deter similar activity and protect the legal system from corruption.
"It is important that those who are tempted to behave in this way understand that there will be serious consequences," he said.
The indictment represented "misconduct which lasted well over a year and involved at least 53 cases in which you manipulated the process in order to save offenders from the consequences of their offending - fines, penalty points and disqualification".
The court heard that Patel came to the attention of authorities following a national newspaper sting.
Patel, who is of previous good character, began working for Redbridge magistrates' court in east London in February 2009.
He became the first person to be prosecuted and convicted under the Bribery Act 2010.
His sentence challenge will be heard by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, Mr Justice Openshaw and Mr Justice Irwin.
