convicted rioters are being handed prison sentences which are 40% longer than if they had committed the same offence last year, statistics show.

In the first comprehensive collation of sentencing since last week’s upheaval, the figures show the hard-line stance being enforced by the courts.
The majority of the charges have been for theft or handling stolen goods with an average sentence of 5.1 months.
This compares to the average prison term handed down for the same crimes in 2010 of 4.1 months, according to Ministry of Justice figures.
Sentences for those convicted of public order offences were a third longer than normal.
However, rioters guilty of attacking police officers got a 40% increase in the usual term.