"Criticism is growing of the sentences imposed on some convicted rioters after two men were jailed for four years for posting messages on Facebook inciting people to create disorder in their home towns. A cabinet minister defended the tough sentencing approach, but a senior Liberal Democrat accused the courts of seeking retribution. Jordan Blackshaw, 20, from Northwich Town, and Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan, 22, of Latchford, Warrington, were sentenced at Chester crown court after admitting using the social networking site to try to organise riots. No trouble resulted from their actions." - M F

"Paul Mendelle QC, a former chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, said: "The idea that the rulebook goes out the window strikes me as inherently unjust. It sets all manner of alarm bells ringing. Guidelines are not tramlines. There are guidelines and they take account of aggravating and mitigating circumstances." - M F

No doubt they will appeal against the severity of the sentence. - Nick B.

I hate to use the term, but there has been a lot of knee jerk reactions and yes the media and politicians are using the words, gang members and looters interchangeably, and seems they want justice at any cost. We aren't seeing/hearing rational reactions from our governments. This isn't the type of law the Lib Dems would have tolerated in opposition, no doubt they would of had a spokesperson ranting at the injustice of these sentences/draconian knee jerk reaction laws. Why are they so quite, or do I keep missing them? Short term reactional laws/sentences will only have long term consequences, many of which caused this crisis in the first place. Have we learn't nothing? Are we becoming a nation of ostriches? - Halil

Here http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk... "Lord Carlile, the barrister and former Liberal Democrat MP warned that the sacrosanct separation of powers between the government and the judiciary had appeared to have been breached by some of the messages coming out of government since the riots engulfed neighbourhoods last week." - M F