British criminals who burgle shops or homes during any future riots will face longer behind bars under new sentencing guidelines. For the first time, general public disorder has been added as an aggravating factor to the notes handed out to judges by the Sentencing Council.
It comes after judges were criticised for the tough punishments handed out following the August riots, with some claiming they were acting outside the established guidelines. From next year the guideline sentence for aggravated burglary with a firearm or other weapon will rise from four years to nine years in jail, if it is connected to a riot.
Those guilty of domestic burglaries, usually attracting sentences of up to 26 weeks in jail, would face up to two years, and the top sentence for non-domestic burglaries would increase from 18 to 51 weeks in jail.