We here consider an appeal from the Order of the Common Pleas Court which dismissed the petition of appellant for relief under the Post-Conviction Hearing Act, Act of January 25,1966, P.L. 1580, 19 P.S. § 1180-1 et seq. Appellant contends principally that he should be afforded P.C. H.A. relief because his guilty pleas to burglary and various related charges were unlawfully induced and because he had been denied his constitutional right tо the effective assistance of counsel. We affirm.
The brief of appellant sets forth the following two issues in the Statement of Questions Involved which were raised in the lower court:
(1) Did the appellant waive the right to challenge the validity of his guilty pleа?
(2) Was the appellant’s plea of guilty unlawfully induced because he was not properly advised of the possible defense available to the crimes charged?
The opinion of the post-conviction hearing court addressed these issues and we agree with its determinations. Under the Post-Conviction Hearing Act there is a rebuttable pre
Appellant failed to timely move in the Common Pleas Court for withdrawal of his guilty plea pursuant to Pa.R. Crim.P. 320. We, therefore, conclude that he has waived, for the purpose of this appeal the issue of the validity of his guilty plea.
Commonwealth v. McGarry,
We further conclude that appellant has failed to establish that his trial counsel provided ineffective assistance, the extrаordinary circumstance which would preclude waiver of the issue raised here on appeal. 19 P.S. § 1180-4(b)(2);
Commonwealth v. Newell,
When we review a claim of ineffeсtive assistance of counsel we apply a two-step analysis. First, we determine if the issue underlying the allegation of ineffectiveness is of arguable merit. Second, if we find the underlying issue to be of arguаble merit, we shift our inquiry to a determination of whether the course actually chosen by counsel had some reasonable basis designed to effectuate the interests of the client.
Commonwealth v. Evans,
The P.C.H.A. Court found thаt under all of the circumstances of the case, including the decision of the appellant not to pursue the possible defense of involuntary intoxication, the advice of counsel to аppellant that he plead guilty in the belief that the judge would be lenient in imposing sentence had a reasonable basis in effectuating his client’s interests.
See Commonwealth ex rel. Washington
v.
Maroney,
Through the device of an allegation of the ineffectiveness of both trial counsel and P.C.H.A. counsel, appellant, represented by even newer counsel on this appeal, raises a new issue—he claims that his guilty plea was unlawfully induced by the failure of his guilty plea counsel to object to erroneous information provided by the prosecutor during the guilty plea colloquy concerning the maximum terms of imprisonment and fines applicable for the crimes to which he pleaded guilty. The primаry issue as to whether the guilty pleas
Appellant now attempts to here litigate for the first time a claim that the guilty plea was defective for a further but previously unmentioned reason, namely, the prosecutor provided erroneous information during the guilty plea colloquy with regard to the aggregate maximum sentences and fines which confronted appellant, and would have us consider this claim on the basis that both trial counsel and P.C.H.A. counsel were ineffective for failing to earlier object to the defect.
While there are certain procedural deficiencies which would ordinarily preclude the consideration of this contention,
Commonwealth v. Lowe,
In order to establish a right to relief in a P.C.H.A. proceeding, the petitioner must demonstrate not only that an error has occurred but also that the error has prejudiced him.
See Commonwealth
v.
Blair,
Our examination of the record here reveals that appellant was properly advised of the individual maximum fines and terms apрlicable to the crimes charged. This aspect of the colloquy comported with the requirement of an inquiry into the defendant’s awareness of the permissible range of sentences and fines fоr the charged offenses pursuant to the guidelines set forth in the Comment to Pa.R.Crim.P. 319(a).
See Commonwealth v. Willis,
A scrutiny of the record confirms, however, that the information provided by the prosecutor was in error with regard to the aggregate maximum sentences and fines which appellant could have faced by pleading guilty to the crimes charged. 1 Appellant has not, however, demonstrated the manner in which this error prеjudiced him.
We conclude that this contention is without arguable merit, since the record demonstrates that appellant did not plead guilty because of the defect asserted—a quite trifling and baseless contention—but that he was motivated to enter pleas of guilty by: (1) the overwhelming evidence of his participation in the burglary which included his apprehension in the very apartment during the actual burglary; (2) his inability to replace the contrived defense which he had decided to abandon; and (3) his desire to secure a reduced sentence for these crimes.
Order affirmed.
Notes
. Appellant claims that he was improperly advised of the aggregate maximum terms of imprisonment and the maximum fines which he faced. The disputed portion of the guilty plea colloquy conducted by the District Attorney is set forth as follows:
By Mr. Selig [Assistant District Attorney]:
Q. So altogеther you face a maximum of, I believe, it’s eighty six years in jail, and the fines, I didn’t add those up, but there are well over one hundred thousand dollars in fines, you understand that? A. Yes.
Q. That could be the maximum imposed upon yоu. Do you understand that?
A. Yes, sir. (N.T. guilty plea, 10-16-79, p. 43).
The approximation of sentence expressed by the Assistant District Attorney was in error. The prosecutor stated he believed it was 86 years; appellant in his brief indicates the aggregate maximum was 46 years; a closer calculation would indicate that a term of 59 years and a fine of $90,000 is the aggregate maximum sentence for the crimes to which appellant pleaded guilty: burglary, theft, possession of an instrument of crime, terroristic threats, recklessly endangering another person and criminal conspiracy.
