A violent repeat offender who has appeared in ’The Best Little Prison in Britain?’ TV series has won an appeal to cut his sentence.

Ian Goldsmith was jailed for three-and-a-half years in January after he was convicted by a jury of unlawful wounding.

Goldsmith appealed against conviction and sentence, which included an extended licence period of 18 months.

And having won his appeal against his setence, it is understood he has now been released on licence.

Goldsmith was jailed for an attack carried out in May 2017. His retrial in January followed a trial in July last year which had to be aborted and one in October where the jury was unable to agree a verdict.

At his retrial and on his appeal, the serving prisoner represented himself.

He argued he did not receive a fair trial as a litigant in person, having been unable to secure legal representation.

Judge of Appeal Jeremy Storey QC and Deemster Alastair Montgomerie dismissed the appeal against conviction, saying they did not believe it to be unsafe or unsatisfactory.

But they did rule that the Goldsmith’s three-and-a-half year jail term was ’manifestly excessive’. They quashed the sentence handed down at the trial and passed a custodial term of three years.

But they said the 18-month licence period imposed as part of an extended sentence was fully justified to preventing him carrying out further offences.

They described the appellant’s 28 pages of written submissions as ’clear and well-researched’.

Goldsmith was shown on in the first episode of the television programme researching the law and reading Manx Criminal Law and Procedure, a book by former Deemster David Doyle.

Goldsmith argued there was no evidence that he used a weapon to wound his victim.

The attack, he said, was not sustained but an ’isolated incident’ of a few seconds involving only three blows and there was no premeditation. He argued the weight given to his previous offences of violence since 1996, which had resulted in sentences of up to three years’ custody, and his breaches of licence or bail conditions or binding over orders or suspended sentences in 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2017 was disproportionate.

And he said the sentence should have been one of 12 months’ custody.

’Goldie’ features on the ITV show with the words ’thug life’ tattooed on his stomach. He is shown with girlfriend Lorraine, then also an inmate at Jurby prison, as they met twice a week during prison visiting hours.

The pair described themselves as ’Bonnie and Clyde’.

The next episode is aired tomorrow night (Wednesday) at 8pm.