I think the problem is few people consider the consequences of their online actions and fewer consider the consequences of their real life actions and how they affect others. It’s about time people started to instead of hiding behind the “it’s the internet, it’s not real” ideal. In many ways these people need to grow up and take responsibility for their actions, making excuses for them is equally irresponsible.

What was the judge thinking, “I better not give them just a year each, otherwise they’ll just do it again, or others will be tempted to do it” ?

Where’s the line drawn? A week? A day? All will make them think twice, but they’re stupid enough and presumably have so little to lose that only removal of liberty for a significant period will make them think twice?

a damn good bit of punishment.

have you ever met anyone who’s been to prison..?

Where’s the line drawn? A week? A day?

How about using “common-sense” and not stupid knee-jerk reactions when considering sentencing ?

Just a thought like 💡

How about using “common-sense” and not stupid knee-jerk reactions when considering sentencing ?

Just a thought like

Seriously, where do you draw the line? What would you class as a sensible sentence that acts as a deterrent to others? The range of “common sense” sentencing is set out in the laws with which they were charged and as far as I am aware they are at the lower end of the sentencing for it? (max was 10 years wasn’t it?).

have you ever met anyone who’s been to prison..?

I once employed an armed robber, went in uneducated, came out with a degree
Nice bloke too

I once employed an armed robber, went in uneducated, came out with a degree

So you got away with the planning of the heist then?

Common sense says to me that you should wear a helmet when riding a bike, other have a differing opinion on what common sense is, don’t they? A hard line stance now to send out a strong message to potential law breakers in the future seems a bit more sensible to me than nuturing an element of society that has no fear of or respect for authority and will cost us more in the future.
Just a thought like.

a damn good bit of punishment.

have you ever met anyone who’s been to prison..?

I’ve met several over the years.

I’ll agree with you that prison is not as effective as it should be, but 2 years in jail is a fairly severe punishment in my book.

A hard line stance now to send out a strong message to potential law breakers in the future seems a bit more sensible ……..

So just one year for saying something silly whilst drunk on the internet, and which you regret the next morning, would be considered to be too soft ?

Don’t bother answering that- I’m going on a bike ride.

To be frank, I really dont care. Given half a chance, they’d have been ruining some other poor sods life, and does anybody really believe they’d have thought about the consequences? Whether or not prison will make any positive difference, or the sentences were too harsh is another argument, but as I said, my initial reaction is ‘so what?’.

Don’t bother answering that- I’m going on a bike ride.

With or without a helmet? 😉

So just one year for saying something silly whilst drunk on the internet, and which you regret the next morning, would be considered to be too soft ?

Anyone can claim the “I was drunk” excuse, it’s pathetic. Plenty of people blame their choice to drive on being drunk and not thinking straight, doesn’t mean they should be allowed to get away with it unless they kill someone.

yunki –
we need this guy in charge.. he knows how to deal with people that don’t toe the party line..

Shamone!! Get your looting ass out that trainer store mother f*****!! He Hee!!

*sniffle* they will probably be fired from their jobs at that charity…

Apparently it’s easier to be sarcastic than to try to substantiate – or even articulate – your point.

The criminal justice system in this country needs a serious rethink.

With the exception of Russia, we have the highest prison population in Europe, yet we don’t have a low crime rate compared to Europe generally. So its hard to claim that prison acts as a deterrent.

Trouble is, with all these stupidly reactionary sentences being handed out, which are totally disproportionate with the actual ‘crimes’, the courts will now also be full of appeals, at even more public expense. And I imagine loads of people will have their sentences commuted to something far more reasonable, which kind of makes a mockery of the original sentencing.

I’d like to see quite a few magistrates and judges ‘retired’ through all this. Some simply aren’t fit to hold the office they should consider a great privilege and honour to be in.

People should be sentenced fairly and appropriately, not be used as political pawns.

I can’t really see as how such tough sentencing will really prevent future trouble; people will have the attitude of ‘may as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb’, and be more prepared to avoid arrest. Or prefer targets which will be less likely to be considered by police, such as smaller shopping areas, less populated places etc.

This is all too ‘shutting the stable door after..’ kind of stuff. Just stupid.

I imaging the sentencing will put off quite a few.
It won’t stop those with little to loose, but I reckon all the dimwits who went out for a bit of a loot for lolz will think twice.
You’re right about the judges and magistrates though.

There is no justice in those sentences. Judge/magistrate/politicians need to be jailed for passing those sentences or allowing them to be passed.

I’d say fraud by an MP was far more serious than what those boys did.

i suspect sentencing will be greatly reduced on appeal
if not echr would hopefully get involved just to p!ss off the rightwingnutjobs ™ even more

either way i think some lawyers stand to make a lot of money out of these riots

quite amusing to see brentford magistrates court all busy again as its about to be closed down

as i said before

1.2 million claimed by mps had to be paid back, but only 4 of them broke the law apparently

yet you can get 4 years for being a **** on the internet

un-freaking-believable

And I imagine loads of people will have their sentences commuted to something far more reasonable, which kind of makes a mockery of the original sentencing

i suspect sentencing will be greatly reduced on appeal

Quite possibly but the shock effect the 4 years has [presumably] had on them is worth it IMO
Let them sweat a bit more, thinking that they should be a bit better off after appeal but with a niggling doubt that maybe the sentence will stand – it’s all good

Right who’s up for some rioting and looting tonight? Meet up outside M&S at 7pm, maybe even do some pillaging as well for good measure.

Best hold back on the raping bit though eh? 😯

After all, we are more civilised these days.

Meet up outside M&S at 7pm

Which M&S?

Also, 7pm is the usual time that the Handwringers Society meet up and they often want some poor misunderstood [strike]villain [/strike] victim of society to tell their story
By the time the societies members have stopped tutting and weeping and with the usual break for coffee, it’s often gone 9

Just a thought

coffeeking – Member

…..doesn’t mean they should be allowed to get away with it

So where’s the bit where I say “they should be allowed to get away with it”? Go on, tell me – I’m serious. You can copy and paste it if you want.

Just because someone has a common-sense approach to sentencing, it doesn’t automatically mean that they think the guilty should go unpunished. Although I can understand how simpletons who rely on knee-jerk reactions might think so.

4 years for what they did is stupid – end of, as far as I’m concerned. In the same way that 16 years for what they did would also be stupid. But pointing out that a sentence is clearly stupid doesn’t mean you don’t feel the law should be upheld.

I think you’re all missing the most important factor in this story,

… which is that the guy on the right is actually snooker legend Steve Davis.

Jordan and Perry? Good job the judicial system has told me they’re bad mans, coz I wouldn’t have thunk it given their names…

So where’s the bit where I say “they should be allowed to get away with it”? Go on, tell me – I’m serious. You can copy and paste it if you want.

Just because someone has a common-sense approach to sentencing, it doesn’t automatically mean that they think the guilty should go unpunished. Although I can understand how simpletons who rely on knee-jerk reactions might think so.

4 years for what they did is stupid – end of, as far as I’m concerned. In the same way that 16 years for what they did would also be stupid. But pointing out that a sentence is clearly stupid doesn’t mean you don’t feel the law should be upheld

I would consider a lesser sentence to be “getting away with it lightly”. Your opinion differs from mine, get over it.

Jordan and Perry? Good job the judicial system has told me they’re bad mans, coz I wouldn’t have thunk it given their names…

Slightly dangerous ground, the only “crim” I’ve known personally was called bob… 🙂

Thats completely ridiculous. These people are clearly just morons. All the riots were organise on a closed messaging system.

This just tells everyone one the justice system is now broken as far as the riots are concerned. Its turned into nothing other than a tool by which Cameron can stay in power by showing how hard he’s being on people involved the riots, regardless of the crime.

Maybe if all the MP’s had come back from their holidays before it was too late they could have prevented it in the first place?

coffeeking – Member

I would consider a lesser sentence to be “getting away with it lightly”. Your opinion differs from mine, get over it.

Help me get over it by not talking complete bollox with regards to what I am saying.

Nowhere did I say that “they should be allowed to get away with it”. And now having realised your own stupidity, but only because I pointed it out, you claim you said “getting away with it lightly”, which is clearly false.

Why don’t you stop and think about what people are saying, instead of just going into tabloid-fuelled knee-jerk mode ? 💡

As usual the right wing nutjobs are becoming unable to walk (or think) properly due to compulsive knee jerking..