Four people jailed after unrest appealing against ‘harsh’ sentences

Four people jailed after violent unrest which broke out in parts of the UK over the summer have brought bids to the Court of Appeal to reduce their sentences.
Ozzie Cush, Paul Williams, Dylan Willis and Aminadab Temesgen all received prison or detention terms of between 10 months and two years two months.
At the Court of Appeal on Thursday, judges were told that each of the sentences was “harsh” and “manifestly excessive” and should be reduced.
Alex Granville, for Cush, said there was “significant mitigation for each appellant and significant circumstances”, which may not have been properly considered.
He later told the court that an immediate prison sentence is not the only way to deter potential offenders.
The barrister continued: “Suspended sentences hanging over a defendant’s head, while subject to other forms of punitive work can act as a deterrent but can also act as rehabilitation.”
Mr Granville later said that judges are independent.
He added: “Even with the national events that are happening, the media coverage and the strong public opinion … there is still due process to be followed.”
The Crown Prosecution Service will be responding to the appeals later on Thursday.
Cush, 20, from Reading, was jailed for 10 months after pleading guilty to assaulting an emergency worker during a protest in central London.
Williams, then 45, was jailed for two years and two months in August after he threw metal fencing and a can of beer at police after goading officers during the rioting in Sunderland on August 2.
Willis, 18, from Hartlepool, was handed a 14-month sentence for smashing a restaurant window during disorder in Middlesbrough.
Temesgen, then 19 years old and from Plymouth, was also given a 14-month sentence after throwing bottles at police in August.
The hearing before the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, Lord Justice Holroyde and Mr Justice Bennathan is due to conclude on Thursday afternoon.
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