Sunderland man has summer riot sentence appeal dismissed at Court of Appeal
4 people across the UK had appealed their sentences, for their roles in the disorder which took place across the country this summer
A Sunderland man - jailed for his role in the riots earlier this summer - will stay behind bars, after an appeal against his conviction was dismissed.
4 men had all appealed their prison sentences, all between 10 months and 2 years 10 months, for their roles in the disorder which broke out across the country earlier this year.
Paul Williams, then 45, had been sentenced to two years and two months - after he threw metal fencing and a can of beer at police officers, and goaded officers during the rioting in Sunderland on August 2nd.
Today 3 Court of Appeal judges rejected his calls for a lesser sentence.
Baroness Carr said the disorder earlier this year was "fuelled by misinformation and far right sentiment, spreading to various towns and cities across the nation".
She added: "In the context of widespread and significant public disorder, it is not only the precise individual acts of an offender that matter.
"It is the fact that the offender is taking part in violent disorder, threatening violence against other people or property, and is part and parcel of widespread threatening and alarming activity.
"That is the gravamen of the offending: being one of those who, by weight of numbers, pursues a common and unlawful purpose.
"Thus, whilst what an individual offender may have done themselves is of relevance, their acts must not be taken in isolation."
The Crown Prosecution Service responded to the appeals.
Duncan Atkinson KC, for the body, said that each of the sentencing judges took the correct approach.
He said: "Whilst context is not everything, it is extremely important to sentencing in cases such as this.
"Each of these offenders in their different ways were sentenced for participating in different ways."
The barrister added: "It is clear that each of the judges was aware they had to assess the incident and its impact before going on to assess the role of the individual."