THE JAILED owner of the Dance Academy is appealing against

his conviction and sentence for allowing the 'rampant' use and

sale of Ecstasy in his club.

Manoucehr Bahmanzadeh, 51, has lodged the appeal via his

solicitors at the Court of Appeal in The Strand, London.

Bahmanzadeh was sentenced to nine years in jail on July 21

following a lengthy trial at Plymouth Crown Court. He was found

guilty by the jury, as was co-defendent Tom Costelloe, and was

sentenced by Judge Francis Gilbert QC.

Judge Gilbert “expressly” rejected mitigating submissions

and said he and Costelloe “deliberately promoted” the premises

to be used for the supply of the Class A drug “to better the

club's reputation and profits”.

The fate of the Dance Academy – which still remains boarded

up – may not be known for up to three years as police

investigate the extent of Bahmanzadeh's earnings and

assets.

Meanwhile, Plymouth City Council's licensing sub-committee

is due to review the licence of both the Union Street club and

the Cooperage on the Barbican tomorrow.

The review, requested by the police, was repeatedly

postponed until the end of the trial against Bahmanzadeh.

Police launched an investigation into Bahmanzadeh and the Dance

Academy club in Union Street in December 2005 after reports of

open drug dealing on the premises.

A six-month operation, involving undercover officers buying

Ecstasy from dealers on the premises, resulted in a large-scale

raid by police in May 2006.

With the evidence the undercover officers acquired, the

Crown Prosecution Service was able to prove the sale and

consumption of Ecstasy was “rampant”, “overt and blatant”.

Sixteen drugs dealers caught on that night each received

sentences, ranging from four-and-a-half years down to two-year

community orders with 100 hours' unpaid work.

Following the trial police admitted a further 12 dealers,

whom officers bought drugs from, were never identified.

In sentencing the pair Judge Gilbert QC said Ecstasy was

part of the culture of the premises, adding: “Ecstasy was a

major factor in attracting people to the club and its

profitability.”

Bahmanzadeh, who had a small empire of clubs and pubs around

the city, denied the charge, claiming he was passionately

anti-drugs. During one outburst in court he insisted: “I

cleaned up nightclubs in this city.”

However, following his sentence, he was told Devon and

Cornwall Constabulary's Economic Crime Unit were to investigate

his earnings and assets with a view to seizing any proceeds of

crime.

It is understood Costelloe, who received a

five-year-sentence for the same charge, has not yet made an

application for leave to appeal.