Riots in Tottenham, London! (NO RACIST COMMENTS)

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NeilFawcett said:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14553330

Mr Brake told the BBC's Newsnight that some of those convicted had received sentences which would have been different if they had committed the same crime the day before the riots.

...and so it should be! They were part of a riot, so that needs to be taken into consideration! If they had committed the offence the day before, then they would not have been part of a riot! Simple!
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This tbh... The fact that someone was caught stealing a bottle of water etc.. is less relevant than the circumstances they were caught stealing it in this instance. Taking part in a riot and looting is much more serious than simply shoplifting yet people are wining about the sentences because the person *only* stole XYZ...

Having your shop trashed and looted is probably heartbreaking for a shop keeper and the end of their livelihood for some - catching a shoplifter on an ordinary day is more of an annoyance but hardly something to get upset about. Everyone out there looting and destroying property was part of the problem and added to the numbers the police had to deal with.
 
dowie said:
This tbh... The fact that someone was caught stealing a bottle of water etc.. is less relevant than the circumstances they were caught stealing it in this instance. Taking part in a riot and looting is much more serious than simply shoplifting yet people are wining about the sentences because the person *only* stole XYZ...

Having your shop trashed and looted is probably heartbreaking for a shop keeper and the end of their livelihood for some - catching a shoplifter on an ordinary day is more of an annoyance but hardly something to get upset about. Everyone out there looting and destroying property was part of the problem and added to the numbers the police had to deal with.
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I would argue that it's less serious since it took place in abnormal conditions and the perpetrator of any given crime could be suffering from impaired judgement because of it.
 
PermaBanned said:
I would argue that it's less serious since it took place in abnormal conditions and the perpetrator of any given crime could be suffering from impaired judgement because of it.
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And fortunately for the rest of us not many people are buying that argument.

Lets not forget that at least part of sentencing is to act as both a punishment and a deterrent. Lots of people involved in the riots were seemingly taking part because they saw an opportunity and it appeared as though the police had lost control so they could run amok without consequence. The various BB messenger messages drew attention to this.

Some of these sentences probably are a bit of a shock to the people caught and will likely be a deterrent to at least the people who joined in because they didn't believe they'd be caught or face much fall out if they participated.
 
PermaBanned said:
I would argue that it's less serious since it took place in abnormal conditions and the perpetrator of any given crime could be suffering from impaired judgement because of it.
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While I don't necessarily agree with all the sentences handed out here, it's not less serious because the person is now taking part in the riot and associated criminal behaviour. The perpetrator may be suffering from impaired judgement but unfortunately for them the crime of taking part in a riot acts as a modifier to add to any given crime i.e. it's crime ++.
 
Can anyone point me in the right direction to view the court hearings of those prosecuted after this? I'm hunting around the Crown Court web page but if I'm honest I don't have much of a clue where to look exactly?
 
Look up CourtServe - they do daily CC listings. There's no way to tell which cases are related to the disorder, though. Your best bet is to google the names in any cases that interested you and find reports that listed the next court date.
 
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