A man has had his prison sentence extended – by four years and six months - after a successful challenge by Suffolk police and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Earlier this year Mark Lee was given a 54-month concurrent sentence for a robbery at the home of a disabled man in his 60s in Southwold in March 2015.

Today, at the The Royal Court of Justice in London, police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) challenged the sentencing of Lee – formerly of Romany Lane in Kessingland – on the basis that it had been unduly lenient.

His extended sentence comes after Lee had committed separate offences in Norfolk and Suffolk.

On October 1 last year Lee appeared at Lowestoft Magistrates Court charged with the robbery in Southwold, which happened on Tuesday, March 3 2015 – where between £8,000 and £10,000 had been stolen after two men forced their way into the home of a disabled man in his 60s and pushed him around before stealing a holdall containing the cash.

However, Lee had also been charged with other offences in Norfolk and he was jailed for five years at Norwich Crown Court on December 22 last year for two counts of penetrative sexual activity with a child, assault by beating the same child, and possession of cocaine.

On May 3 this year, the first day of his scheduled trial at Ipswich Crown Court, Lee pleaded guilty to the Southwold robbery. At this stage he was sentenced to 54 months imprisonment but this was ordered to be concurrent – to run at the same time as the five-year sentence he was already serving for the Norfolk offences.

This led to Suffolk Police making representations to the Crown Prosecution Service and it was agreed that the sentence should be referred for review on the basis that it had been unduly lenient.

The appeal was heard at The Royal Court of Justice in London today (Friday, July 15), where it was agreed that the 54-month sentence should be consecutive to the existing sentence – effectively adding four years and six months to the term Lee will now have to serve in prison.

Det Insp Simon Bridgland said: 'Both the sexual activity and the robbery were serious crimes and we felt the concurrent sentence was unduly lenient under the circumstances.

'The robbery was fully investigated, leading to prosecution of Lee who admitted stealing the resident's cash. Officers liaised with CPS to carry out a joint challenge and we're pleased with the decision today.'

Det Sgt Matthew Adams said: 'Because Lee's 54-month sentence for the robbery had been ordered to run concurrently to the one he was already serving, he was effectively given no additional punishment for the robbery offence.

'We believed that he should face further imprisonment due to the serious nature of the offences committed and, with the support of CPS, this has been successfully challenged, resulting in Lee being ordered to serve the 54 months as well as the five years given for the Norfolk offences.

'While three people - two men and a woman – were also previously jailed for conspiracy to commit robbery in connection with the Southwold incident, there remains one unidentified male who carried out this crime.

'We would urge anyone with information regarding who that other male was to call Lowestoft CID on 101 quoting crime reference BE/15/264.'

? Anyone with information can also call Crimestoppers, anonymously if required, on 0800 555 111.