World News - Woman wins riot sentence appeal

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  • xman
    Admin
    • Sep 2006
    • 24007

    World News - Woman wins riot sentence appeal

    19 August 2011 Last updated at 09:54 ET A judge has released a woman who was jailed for accepting looted shorts in what is thought to be the first appeal against a sentence over the unrest.

    Ursula Nevin, 24, was jailed for five months in Manchester, but has now been ordered to do voluntary work.

    MPs and campaigners have said some of the sentences given to those involved in England's riots were too harsh.

    Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are in Birmingham, visiting areas hit by last week's rioting.

    Earlier this week, Nevin was jailed by a district judge who heard she had been asleep at home during the riots but later accepted the shorts which had been looted from a city centre shop by a friend.

    She was freed by Judge Andrew Gilbart QC at Manchester Crown Court on Friday, and ordered to do 75 hours' unpaid voluntary work.

    The judge, who earlier this week justified severe sentences for rioters, said that he was setting aside the prison sentence because Nevin had not actually taken part in the riots.

    On Wednesday, some MPs, civil liberties campaigners and lawyers said some sentencing had been excessive, warning that many jail terms would be reduced on appeal.

    Following Nevin's appeal, the Law Society, which represents solicitors in England and Wales, said justice "must be administered effectively and fairly and with calm heads".

    Royal visit "We must avoid unnecessary cost to the public purse that could arise from dealing with wrongful convictions or sentences that go on to be challenged," a spokesman said.

    In Birmingham, Prince William and his wife Kate met the families of three men who were knocked down and killed during the rioting.

    Haroon Jahan, Shazad Ali, and Abdul Musavir were hit by a car as they protected stores from looters.

    The royal couple also met members of the emergency services and others affected by the violence.

    Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police have released a further set of CCTV images of suspects as part of the continuing investigation into rioting in London.

    It has a dedicated website displaying the images of people it wants to speak to. The Flickr website is also hosting the photos.

    More than 1,000 people have been charged and more than 1,800 arrested in connection with violence and disorder on London's streets.

    Social media The prison population is rising by more than 100 a day in England and Wales as courts deal with the aftermath of the unrest, Ministry of Justice figures show.

    Prisoner numbers have increased to a record high of 86,654, beating last week's total of 85,523.

    And the major social networking websites have been called to the Home Office next Thursday to discuss the English riots.

    So far, only Facebook has confirmed its attendance, although Blackberry has suggested it will also be there.

    Facebook, Twitter and Blackberry have all been criticised after it emerged that some rioters may have used them to plan trouble or encourage others.

    Facebook said that it welcomed the opportunity to discuss the matter with Theresa May.

    "We look forward to meeting with the home secretary to explain the measures we have been taking to ensure that Facebook is a safe and positive platform for people in the UK at this challenging time," it said in a statement.





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