And so it begins.

by Isakenaz Thu Oct 13, 2011 5:13 am

Riot Criminals Will Face Longer In Prison

Criminals who burgle shops or homes during any future riots will face longer behind bars under new sentencing guidelines.

For the first time, general public disorder has been added as an aggravating factor to the notes handed out to judges by the Sentencing Council.

It comes after judges were criticised for the tough punishments handed out following the August riots , with some claiming they were acting outside the established guidelines.

From next year the guideline sentence for aggravated burglary with a firearm or other weapon will rise from four years to nine years in jail, if it is connected to a riot.

Those guilty of domestic burglaries, usually attracting sentences of up to 26 weeks in jail, would face up to two years, and the top sentence for non-domestic burglaries would increase from 18 to 51 weeks in jail.

Other factors, such as gang membership, deliberately targeting victims, or whether an offender was acting on impulse, would also affect judges' sentencing decisions.

The guidelines were produced before the troubles this summer and form part of a wider approach to put victims first.

In August Nawaz Phansopkar and his family saw their home in Croydon, south London, destroyed when rioters robbed the shops below and set the building on fire.

He told Sky News: "If you do the crime you must pay, there is no excuse especially with families like mine who lost everything.

"The looters had no care in the world for peoples safety or property, so I think they deserve everything they get really."

Javed Khan, chief executive of Victim Support, said: "Being burgled and having your personal belongings trashed or stolen can have a lasting impact.

"With a quarter of burglary victims losing confidence, a fifth having trouble sleeping and one in 10 suffering from depression, it is only right that the impact is taken into account in sentencing."

Those who looted or stole during the riots were jailed for just over 14 months on average - nearly double the usual sentence.

A Sentencing Council spokesman said it recognised "the damage caused and consequences" for small businesses and shop owners living above or near premises affected by riots. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/riot-criminals-face-longer-prison-035906984.html

So if you are a rioter, that makes a criminal offence much worse?

A good comment from someone called Joe, "I think when the low paid get cold and hungry this winter in the UK and riot in London the last thing they will care about is longer prison sentences where they will be warm and well fed." So next time there is a 'riot', it should be done properly.