London, Aug 17: Two young men who tried to incite rioters using Facebook have been sent to four years in jail, the longest sentencing so far by the courts following the four days of unrest, even as more than 1,000 people have been charged for the recent violence and looting in London.
 Acting commissioner for the Metropolitan Police force Tim Godwin hailed a "significant milestone" as he said a total of 1,005 suspects had been charged after 1,733 arrests.
 Jordan Blackshaw, 20, and Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan, 22, were both sentenced to four years despite neither of the destructive events the men attempted to organise actually happening.
 The pair appeared at Chester Crown Court after police discovered Facebook pages created by the men that urged rioting in their home towns.
 Prime Minister David Cameron has defended courts for handing out tough sentences for those involved in the riots across England. Some MPs and campaigners say some sentences dealt to by the courts in the riot cases are too harsh.
 "It's up to the courts to make decisions about sentencing, but they've decided to send a tough message and it's very good that the courts feel able to do that," Cameron said.
 Blackshaw, of Northwich, Cheshire, set up an event entitled "Smash Down Northwich Town", and Sutcliffe-Keenan, of Warrington, created the page "Let's Have a Riot in Latchford".
 Both men pleaded guilty to intentionally encouraging another to assist the commission of an indictable offence under sections 44 and 46 of the Serious Crime Act 2007, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
 Neither Blackshaw nor Sutcliffe-Keenan were accused of rioting or looting themselves, yet the pair were given the lengthiest sentences so far in relation to the nationwide disorder.
 Acting commissioner Godwin praised the work of officers gathering evidence to bring the charges. The public response to appeals over the riots last week had been fantastic.
 The force has said it was aiming for 3,000 convictions over the disorder.
 London Mayor Boris Johnson said the latest police figures were "testament not only to their (Met's) dedication, but also to the outstanding support they have had from law-abiding Londoners who will not tolerate this behaviour in their communities."
 At Chester crown court, Judge Elgan Edwards heard the facebook plotters' case.
 The court was told in separate incidents that the two individuals set up pages on social networking sites at the height of last week's violence, calling on others to join them in creating nuisance in Cheshire county in north west England.
 Sutcliffe created a Facebook page entitled 'The Warrington Riots'. He called on 400 friends to join him in creating mayhem.
 Blackshaw created an event called 'Smash Down in Northwich Town'. He invited 147 people to gather at a McDonald's in the centre of the historic town for a looting spree. PTI/IANS

Lastupdate on : Wed, 17 Aug 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:30:00 GMT
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