1,292 jailed after riots, new figures show

More than 1,200 people have been jailed for an average of almost 18 months following last summer's riots, figures showed today.

Some 3,051 people had appeared before the courts by June 8 following the looting and violence which spread across English cities last August, the Ministry of Justice said.

A total of 1,292 of the 1,968 found guilty and sentenced for their role in the riots were jailed immediately, with an average sentence of 16.8 months.

This was much higher than the average 3.7-month sentence handed down to those convicted by magistrates but sentenced at any court for similar offences in England and Wales in 2010, the figures showed.

As of two weeks ago, some 692 offenders involved in the riots were behind bars, with a further 710 having served their jail term and been released.

Overall, more than half (53%) of those before the courts over the riots were aged under 20, and only one in 16 (6%) was over 40.

One in two (50%) faced burglary charges, while a fifth (22%) were accused of violent disorder and one in six (16%) were accused of theft.

PA