Sentence Reduced for ‘Mongoose’ and Four Other Men

Five men, including popular tattoo artist Oszie Kelvin Russell, known widely as “Mongoose“, have had their firearm-related sentences reduced by the Court of Appeal following successful appeals by attorneys Wendel Alexander and Andrew Okola, who argued that the magistrate had inappropriately applied additional time to each of their sentences.

Russell, who pleaded guilty to possessing an unlicensed 9mm Glock 80 pistol, ten rounds of ammunition and a black suppressor after allegedly attempting to throw the evidence from his bedroom window during an early morning police search, saw his sentence cut from three years and six months to one year and ten months and twenty days.

Challenger, convicted of possessing a .45mm Remington Rand pistol and seven rounds of matching ammunition, had his sentence reduced from three years and eight months to one year and ten months.

Ricardo Howell, convicted of possessing a 9mm firearm and four rounds of ammunition in December 2024, had his reduced from three years and two months to two years and two months. Jamal Prince, convicted in July 2025 for possessing a black and silver Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol, saw his sentence fall from three years and five months to two years and eleven months.

Lastly Jeson Cedeno, whose sentence was reduced to time served after the Court of Appeal determined he had been sentenced under firearm legislation that had not yet been amended at the time he committed the offence, meaning the harsher sentencing framework should never have been applied to him at all.