A convicted drug smuggler who suffers from sickle-cell anaemia had his appeal against conviction dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

Randolph Richardson represented himself after legal aid deemed he had no chance of success and refused to pay for a lawyer.

He was caught trying to smuggle 25lbs of cannabis valued at $202,000 into Bermuda in 2008. Richardson, of Glebe Road, Pembroke, was sentenced to five years imprisonment.

Yesterday, Richardson unsuccessfully attempted to get his conviction overturned and cited six reasons he felt were grounds for the appeal.

"Wrongful admission or exclusion of evidence, errors on part of counsel, misconduct of the trial judge, misdirection on law, misdirection of the facts and comment on character," he said.

Richardson claimed he went to Toronto for a birthday trip to "get laid" and alleged his friends took advantage of his sickness by planting drugs in his luggage.

He told the court he went into "crisis" which meant he suffered from severe cramps throughout his body as a result.

Richardson said evidence proving that he was sick was not admitted into evidence during his court case and he alleged his trial lawyer Llewellyn Peniston rushed the trial and didn't believe he was innocent.

The 43-year-old said the trial judge Charles-Etta Simmons told the jury he had previous convictions and didn't direct the jury properly. He also claimed hospital records which proved he was ill were not put into evidence.

Richardson also alleged the jury was eating lunch while deliberating and may have rushed the verdict because one of the jurors was pregnant and may have needed to get to an appointment.

President of the Court of Appeal Edward Zacca told Richardson none of the grounds he had put forward had any merit.

"The evidence against you was overwhelming and the verdicts of the jury cannot be faulted. The appeal against the conviction is dismissed."

The trial heard the defendant was caught at L. F. Wade International Airport on April 30, 2008. He told the jury he accepted a suitcase from someone he barely knew before coming to Bermuda, and was shocked when he discovered there was cannabis inside.

Sickle-cell is a blood condition that can cause pain, serious infections and organ damage.