I nearly choked on my coffee and doughnut when I first read about this.

Now I will openly admit that I am an advocate for harsher sentencing by the courts. However that has to be a permanent thing as opposed to when the policital will dictates it. Looking at this sentence I believe it is way way over the top for the offence committed. Both males, whilst wrong in their actions, have so far received a greater sentence then any actual looter/rioter, although their actions never actually caused any harm or loss to anybody. I strongly suspect that their sentence will get reduced on appeal. As Ken rightly points out Owens only got 6 years for his involvement in the Baby P affair and is due for release immeniently. Another example to compare this sentence with is 4 years is about the average sentence for causing death by dangerous driving.

As for the lad who got 6 months for stealing the water, I actually have no issue with that sentence, because it is based on the context on which the water was stolen as opposed to the actual amoount, ie it was taken during mass public looting and violent disorder.

As for this country being a police state, if you think this is a police state I suggest you try living in Zimbabwae or Iran or China. Do you think in a police state, Muslims against Crusades would have been able to burn poppies on Remembrance Sunday. I very much doubt it. This country is probably the most compliant when it comes to the Human Rights Act, one of the articles being the Right to freedom of expression.

I'm not sure what Section 9 of the Public Order Act relates to either, I certainly was never taught it whilst doing my training and as far as I am aware its a section of the act that covers the abolishment of many dated older acts, i.e. Section 9(1) abolished the common law offences of riot, rout, unlawful assembly and affray.

Section 9(2) abolished the offences under:
section 1 of the Tumultuous Petitioning Act 1661
section 1 of the Shipping Offences Act 1793
section 23 of the Seditious Meetings Act 1817
section 5 of the Public Order Act 1936