Jonathan Polnay KC of QEB Hollis Whiteman appeared on behalf of the Attorney General in an Unduly Lenient Sentence appeal before the Court of Appeal concerning the case of Vitale Tanga.
Tanga had been convicted of murdering his cellmate, Tajinder Kular, in September 2022 while on remand in custody. He strangled Mr Kular with a kettle cord. Mr Kular later died in hospital from complications arising from cardiac arrest and ligature strangulation. Post-mortem examination revealed ligature marks to the neck, facial bruising and fractures to the neck bones.
At the time of this offence, Tanga was already under investigation for the earlier murder of Alfred Mattox in 2021, for which he later received a life sentence with a minimum term of 25 years. In July 2025, he was sentenced to a second life sentence with a minimum term of 27 years and six months for the murder of Mr Kular, ordered to run concurrently.
Following a referral by the Solicitor General under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, the Court of Appeal increased Tanga’s minimum term on 25 November 2025 to 32 years and six months’ imprisonment.
During the appeal, the Court also confirmed that, in an appropriate case, consecutive life sentences may be imposed.
The Attorney General's Office and The Rt Hon Ellie Reeves MP have published a press release which can be accessed here.
Jonathan Polnay KC