'King Khan' gets extra year behind bars

Convicted offender Imraan Khan, better known as 'King Khan', has been sentenced to an additional year in prison after selling a vehicle that was subject to a High Court restraining order.

While delivering sentence in the High Court in Suva this morning, Justice Thushara Rajasinghe ordered that the one-year prison term run concurrently with the four years and three months Khan is already serving after being convicted of possessing 4.1364 grams of methamphetamine in Suva on February 7.

Khan later pleaded guilty to one count of breaching a restraining order under the Proceeds of Crime Act 1997.

The court heard that Khan transferred a vehicle to his brother despite knowing it had been frozen under a High Court restraining order issued during ongoing proceeds of crime proceedings.

The restraining order covered assets worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, including a property valued at about $400,000, money held in a local bank account and four vehicles.

Justice Rajasinghe said Khan's actions showed "no respect for the rule of law" and interfered with the court process to preserve assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

He said the offence was serious enough to warrant an immediate prison sentence and found no special circumstances to justify suspending it.

Although Khan pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity, the court noted that he later attempted to withdraw his guilty plea, which was refused. The judge said this reduced the weight normally given to an early guilty plea.

The court also took into account Khan's criminal history, noting he has four previous convictions, including two recorded within the past 10 years.

Both the prosecution and the defence have 30 days to appeal the conviction or sentence.