Judges uphold riot sentences

Severe sentences will be handed out to anyone who takes part in the kind of lawlessness that caused “mayhem” across the country in the summer, judges warned yesterday.

Rejecting all but three of ten sentence challenges arising out of August’s widespread civil disorder, they stressed that punishments given to offenders by the courts should be “designed to deter others from similar criminal activity”.

Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge, sitting at the Court of Appeal with the President of the Queen’s Bench Division, Sir John Thomas, and Lord Justice Leveson, said the “level of lawlessness was utterly shocking and wholly inexcusable”.

Among the seven appeals against “excessive” sentences thrown out by the judges yesterday were those brought by two men given four-year terms for setting up Facebook pages inciting others to riot.

Lawyers for Jordan Blackshaw, 21, of Northwich, and Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan, 22, of Warrington, both Cheshire, said what their clients had done was “monumentally foolish”, “hugely stupid” and “hugely short-sighted”.

Dismissing their pleas for a sentence reduction, Lord Judge said both had intended to cause “very serious crime” at a time of “sustained countrywide mayhem”.

The sentencing judge was “fully justified” in concluding that deterrent sentences were appropriate.