Anyone feeling slightly uncomfortable with the scale of the sentencing after the riots?

It was a good explanation. Here is the bit that does frustrate people:

Now, as I find myself repeating endlessly, the fact that Guidelines and legal principles have been followed does not mean that the sentences are just or fair. It just means that the law has been followed. There may well be arguments that, in the cases of some of those convicted, sentences of immediate imprisonment appear oppressive.

our sentencing system is incoherent and inconsistent. Almost everybody will find aspects of our sentencing regime that offend them, or that don’t make sense. Non-violent migrants working in the UK using false documents almost always go to prison. That’s the stance of the Court of Appeal. Whereas violent domestic abusers frequently do not. Somebody who sells Class A drugs on the street can expect a higher starting point for sentence than a person who commits a sexual assault on public transport. I personally think that is madness.

That is the bit that frustrates me. And we’re seeing it again here. Of course I get the need to deter more violence but women get beaten, abused or receive death threats on SM daily and nothing happens.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Now they should do this for the Post Office stuff.

And that’s happening where in the UK?

Yes. In the same way that buying off Facebook marketplace creates a market for burglary, selling fast cars creates a market for dangerous driving, selling alcohol creates a market for domestic violence…

Only when it applies to any crime that might damage the state.

Deterrent sentences aren't used when sentencing crimes against the person e.g traffic offences or burglary.

Whilst i support the sentences handed out to these people, the sad fact is that many people who do far worse, will end up with a shorter or non custodial sentence.

On early release, why are so many non violent offenders in prison? Yes there will be cases when prison is the only option but the UK jails far more people than almost any other european country, yet still has high crime rates.

We leave the choice of how to plead (guilty or not guilty) to the defendant, not the onlooker.

Whether or not they've wasted court time will be reflected in the sentencing.

But that Labour councillor is now wasting the justice systems time. He’s not pleaded guilty, meaning it’ll go to crown court.

He said what he said and was filmed saying it. Why didn’t he just go guilty and accept his punishment?

I take it his career is very much over too?

No they weren't.

See the post by @AngelusBell at 00.31 last night.

Similarly the 53 year old woman, first offender, jailed for 15 months over Facebook hate post. Again, I don't condone what she did, but when you look at all the hate that women get online, or the death threats sent to JKR or MPs, there are few instances of people being jailed in the same way?

She called for a Mosque to be blown up, with the people inside, she used her own FB account, so it was v easy to trace her, chances are, if she said exactly the same thing, 6 months ago, it would have gone un noticed but she posted this at a time when MPs were being advised to work from home as it was too dangerous to go to their offices, the authorities had to crack down v hard or these riots would have continued and got even worse.

Much of the abuse MPs etc get, is done where its very difficult to trace who has sent them but the man who abused Jess Phillips MP got 28 months, not 15.

thesecretbarrister.com/2024/08/14/two-tier-justice-cutting-through-the-online-myths/

Someone posted this on another thread.

It's worth a read as reiterates a lot of what people are saying but that's not being heard (or believed!)

And sentences need to send a message. That's part of the whole justice process. It's not just punishment, it's a deterrent to others - always has been.

Don't feel at all uncomfortable. I think the rent a mob are getting what they deserved. You can't have people acting like this. People who have been violent to the police, smashing stuff up, pulling Asians out of cars, being violent....yes they deserve 2-3 years in prison.

It's always been this way for people who have been caught on camera (CCTV), plead guilty and go through magistrates court.

It's just that when it's local and a few people - rather than national mass riots - you only hear about it locally, if at all.

My local police FB page has people caught and tried within days regularly.

I agree it was well handled. Let the police and courts do their thing, without adding to the drama with unnecessary focus on Starmer or updates of the Stop.The.Thugs type.

Just repeating this for traffic!

I totally agree with you

No, they were releasing non-violent prisoners early with probation conditions and/or electronically tagged. They specifically stated they were only releasing non-violent prisoners.

I think it depends on the context, the audience, the timing.

The woman mentioned above was in a FB group of 5,000 people. I often wondered who writes those barely intelligible, “nostalgic” kind of posts, some overtly racist, that one idiotic friend of mine used to mindlessly re-post. I probably have the answer.

Of course it would, especially if it was in the midst of a campaign to off him.

If someone said Trump should be shot etc would that count as inciting?

But weren't they just a few weeks ago letting dangerous criminals out of prison because there was no more room?

apparently!

I get they needed to stop the riots & set examples but people get low sentences for rape or killing someone in a car etc. so this seems disproportionate.

But weren't they just a few weeks ago letting dangerous criminals out of prison because there was no more room?

Exactly.

“He jailed her for 15 months, telling her: “You should have been looking at the news and media with horror like every right-minded person. Instead, you chose to take part in stirring up hatred.
“You had a big audience. You threatened a mosque … It truly was a terrible threat”

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/14/woman-53-jailed-over-blow-the-mosque-up-facebook-post-after-southport-riots

She has the nerve to use the “ I’m a carer for my husband” line of defence.

Not the main issue of course but it’s adding insult to injury when people like this often don’t contribute anything positive financially, creatively or morally to society but instead choose to use their time to just sit at their keyboards spewing hate.

If they have kids they usually won’t be raising them to be kind or productive members of society either.

I think she might be careful what she puts on Facebook in future. I’d also like to see Yaxley-Lennon in jail for a long time.

No, I'd call that mouthing off. She made no plans to do any such thing. Yeah, she should get punished, and I'd be interested to learn her form - I understand she has none on this issue. It's like the person joking about having a bomb when going through customs. Don't do it, but the OP says 'is anyone a bit uneasy about the sentencing'. I don't mean, don't sentence them at all.

You see what other people get away with. And they do. They actually do the thing, but someone mouthing off gets the jail sentence.