Who are the rioters, how should we deal with them how do we stop a repeat

[davieG]

Looting suspect traced on Facebook by stolen laptop's owner

A teenager who allegedly stole a laptop from a west London flat during the riots was traced on Facebook by the computer's owner.

Greg Martin, an information security professional, had a Macbook Pro laptop and other belongings taken from his flat in West Kensington last week.

He had installed a tracking device on the laptop and got the suspect's ID from the social networking site.

Soheil Khalilfar, 18, has been charged with handling stolen goods.

Once he flagged the laptop as missing, Mr Martin waited for the first report to come in.

The former Nasa and FBI employee said: "Almost two weary days had gone by and I'm at dinner on a business trip in Luxembourg and I received an email which nearly knocked me out of my chair with excitement."

Trouble near homeMr Martin described on his blog how he then monitored the suspected burglar surfing the internet and was able to get his identity from Facebook.

He wrote: "After two hours of watching him surf religious revelation videos, shopping for Mercedes A class on Autotrader he finally popped onto Facebook!"

He said the information included the man's name, school, address in west London and information about his wireless internet.

After he handed the details over to police, they raided the man's flat and recovered the laptop.

Mr Martin was staying at his girlfriend's house, because of trouble near his own home, when the Macbook was stolen.

Mr Khalilfar was bailed to appear before West London Magistrates' Court on Friday.

[purpleronnie]

I find it astonishing the harshness of some of the sentences. These people if they had committed the same crime days before wouldnt have had such severe sentences. No doubt a lot of them will be sent to appeal. Surely a more sensible option for someone who stole a bottle of water would be to help the shop doing community service. How is sending a young person who commited what most of us would agree a pretty petty crime to jail solving anything?, it will probably make things worse as this young person will now have a criminal record making it even harder to find good employment, no doubt he and his family will be bitter towards the justice system.

Thats one of the problems we have in this coountry its either one extreme or another, little middle ground or common sense.

[Rincewind]

True. But the punishments is what the public is crying out for. The GP don't always have a crystal ball and if they did it would not be in technocolour. Some of the reasons for the protests was unemployment, housing, schools. So the courts are tough. Send them to prison they come out has anything changed? Are they going to be offered a £50,000 py job? are they going to be rehoused in better houses? Are the schools going to be repaired and high quality teachers installed? I dont think so. So 6 months, a year or whatever there will be another event that sparks off trouble. Have the ones committing the crimes learnt a lesson because of the prison sentence? It remains to be seen. I am just putting forward a scenario. Another scenario that the rioters and looters will apologise for their behavior they find work at newly formed local buisnesses. Their homes are repaired by the local council. And everyone lives happily ever after.

Its very hard to look at the situation and not feel anger against those that were involved and at the same time look at the wider picture. Understanderbally there are many people stop at the anger.

stocking filler

[davieG]

BBC

Full report - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14553330

Some England riot sentences 'too severe'

MPs and justice campaigners say some of the sentences given to those involved in the riots in England are too harsh.

On Tuesday two men were jailed for four years for using Facebook to incite riots and another was given 18 months for having a stolen TV in his car.

Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake said sentences "should be about restorative justice" not retribution.

But Conservative MP Gavin Barwell said tougher sentences sent a clear message that disorder would not be tolerated.

More than 2,770 people have been arrested in connection with last week's riots in a number of English cities.

By Tuesday afternoon, 1,277 suspects had appeared in court and 64% had been remanded in custody. In 2010 the remand rate at magistrates for serious offences was 10%.

The courts and tribunals service says legal advisers in court have been advising magistrates to "consider whether their powers of punishment are sufficient in dealing with some cases arising from the recent disorder". Magistrates are able to refer cases to crown courts which have tougher sentencing powers.

[Babylon]

Looting suspect traced on Facebook by stolen laptop's owner

A teenager who allegedly stole a laptop from a west London flat during the riots was traced on Facebook by the computer's owner.

Greg Martin, an information security professional, had a Macbook Pro laptop and other belongings taken from his flat in West Kensington last week.

He had installed a tracking device on the laptop and got the suspect's ID from the social networking site.

Soheil Khalilfar, 18, has been charged with handling stolen goods.

Once he flagged the laptop as missing, Mr Martin waited for the first report to come in.

The former Nasa and FBI employee said: "Almost two weary days had gone by and I'm at dinner on a business trip in Luxembourg and I received an email which nearly knocked me out of my chair with excitement."

Trouble near homeMr Martin described on his blog how he then monitored the suspected burglar surfing the internet and was able to get his identity from Facebook.

He wrote: "After two hours of watching him surf religious revelation videos, shopping for Mercedes A class on Autotrader he finally popped onto Facebook!"

He said the information included the man's name, school, address in west London and information about his wireless internet.

After he handed the details over to police, they raided the man's flat and recovered the laptop.

Mr Martin was staying at his girlfriend's house, because of trouble near his own home, when the Macbook was stolen.

Mr Khalilfar was bailed to appear before West London Magistrates' Court on Friday.

How's you luck, stealing from ab ex FBI employee! ha.

[Babylon]

4 years in prison because some idiot posted something on facebook, that's insane.

[Bellend Sebastian]

4 years in prison because some idiot posted something on facebook, that's insane.

It does seem a bit mental in the context of the sentences that get handed out for some other crimes.

I'm completely guessing here but I suspect that they're effectively treating this as a new sort of crime and are setting a harsh precedent early doors.

I'll go back to organising my riots by carrier pigeon.

FIGHT THE POWER

[ozleicester]

As shown by some of this thread...and most of the tv reports.....Just prepare to hand over a few more of your civil liberties to knee jerk fvckwits.

I dont expect to be greeted with enthusuaim about the following, however...

The reason for the riots is the ingrained class system that pervades every part of english life, so deep is its reach and effect, that most english are unable to recognise just how damaging it is.

The current parliament is made up almost entirely of upper class half wits who have absolutely no idea of what living in the real world is like, or middle class career politicians who have never spent a day in the actual workforce they pupport to represent and A few working class people with a real aim to improve the world, but who are simply thrown a bone every few months to ensure that parties can say they are doing the right thing.

As for the very lowest end of the societal spectrum in the UK... those who are living in 2nd or 3rd generation of unemployment, those that havent had the opportunity to learn that working and building a future is a good thing, those that have never experienced the good times that the we are now being told we have to suffer for. These people are once again the greatest victims, they are the ones being hit the hardest by the governments "austerity" measures.

The riots were not about kids hanging on corners, or police not being able to "clip an ear" like in the good old days, they were about the least powerful people in the country showing that they still have some power, and we had better take notice. i would never condone wanton destruction and injury and abhor it but i can understand it...and there but for serendipity go i.

[Babylon]

It does seem a bit mental in the context of the sentences that get handed out for some other crimes.

Kill someone driving like an idiot and you could get a couple of years. How can making a mistake and killing someone, not be as bad as being a bloody idiot and posting something like that on facebook.

Like you said, it's making an example of people.

[Zingari]

It does seem a bit mental in the context of the sentences that get handed out for some other crimes.

I'm completely guessing here but I suspect that they're effectively treating this as a new sort of crime and are setting a harsh precedent early doors.

I'll go back to organising my riots by carrier pigeon.

FIGHT THE POWER

i can't think of a better way to organise a Coo

[Rincewind]

Was the one charge with stealing the laptop? Its only got handling stolen goods. He could have bought it without knowing it was stolen, admittedly maybe off a dodgy man in a pub but it could have also been off Ebay. I Do you ask where the seller got the item. I assume the police must have the evidence though that he knew it was stolen.

[Babylon]

i can't think of a better way to organise a Coo

[FoxyPV]

As shown by some of this thread...and most of the tv reports.....Just prepare to hand over a few more of your civil liberties to knee jerk fvckwits.

I dont expect to be greeted with enthusuaim about the following, however...

The reason for the riots is the ingrained class system that pervades every part of english life, so deep is its reach and effect, that most english are unable to recognise just how damaging it is.

The current parliament is made up almost entirely of upper class half wits who have absolutely no idea of what living in the real world is like, or middle class career politicians who have never spent a day in the actual workforce they pupport to represent and A few working class people with a real aim to improve the world, but who are simply thrown a bone every few months to ensure that parties can say they are doing the right thing.

As for the very lowest end of the societal spectrum in the UK... those who are living in 2nd or 3rd generation of unemployment, those that havent had the opportunity to learn that working and building a future is a good thing, those that have never experienced the good times that the we are now being told we have to suffer for. These people are once again the greatest victims, they are the ones being hit the hardest by the governments "austerity" measures.

The riots were not about kids hanging on corners, or police not being able to "clip an ear" like in the good old days, they were about the least powerful people in the country showing that they still have some power, and we had better take notice. i would never condone wanton destruction and injury and abhor it but i can understand it...and there but for serendipity go i.

I think the polcie clipped too many ears given the number of suspects killed in custody suites in Tottenham

[Smudge]

As shown by some of this thread...and most of the tv reports.....Just prepare to hand over a few more of your civil liberties to knee jerk fvckwits.

I dont expect to be greeted with enthusuaim about the following, however...

The reason for the riots is the ingrained class system that pervades every part of english life, so deep is its reach and effect, that most english are unable to recognise just how damaging it is.

The current parliament is made up almost entirely of upper class half wits who have absolutely no idea of what living in the real world is like, or middle class career politicians who have never spent a day in the actual workforce they pupport to represent and A few working class people with a real aim to improve the world, but who are simply thrown a bone every few months to ensure that parties can say they are doing the right thing.

As for the very lowest end of the societal spectrum in the UK... those who are living in 2nd or 3rd generation of unemployment, those that havent had the opportunity to learn that working and building a future is a good thing, those that have never experienced the good times that the we are now being told we have to suffer for. These people are once again the greatest victims, they are the ones being hit the hardest by the governments "austerity" measures.

The riots were not about kids hanging on corners, or police not being able to "clip an ear" like in the good old days, they were about the least powerful people in the country showing that they still have some power, and we had better take notice. i would never condone wanton destruction and injury and abhor it but i can understand it...and there but for serendipity go i.

Bah! Hang em I say, we tried deportation but the buggers come back.

[ozleicester]

Bah! Hang em I say, we tried deportation but the buggers come back.

Its ok though... they dont stay

[Blinking Blue Owl]

Just as i thought there would be some left wing twat rolling out all the jaded excuses as some sort of alibi for these idle thieving scum . I am from new parks and left school with no qualifications whatsoever . Never had a high paying job and live a financially poor kind of life . What i have got i worked hard for and if any of these opportunist thieves come to rob me and terrorise my family they are going to need the best left wing surgeon to sew there inbred balls back on . Oh how i would love these apologists to call round to the Asian families of those three young men who were callously ran down trying to protect their property and tell them it was societies fault not the murdering piece of shit rioter that did it . And in reply to the ****wit who was banging on about civil liberties exactly what civil liberties did those rioters accord anyone else ?

[The Doctor]

And in reply to the ****wit who was banging on about civil liberties exactly what civil liberties did those rioters accord anyone else ?

No-one knows yet but (as always) the majority will be forced to pay for the minority's actions.

The government will try to stop anything like this from happening again and so everyone will lose some sort of civil liberties in an attempt to clamp down on the masses.

[ozleicester]

Just as i thought there would be some left wing twat rolling out all the jaded excuses as some sort of alibi for these idle thieving scum . I am from new parks and left school with no qualifications whatsoever . Never had a high paying job and live a financially poor kind of life . What i have got i worked hard for and if any of these opportunist thieves come to rob me and terrorise my family they are going to need the best left wing surgeon to sew there inbred balls back on . Oh how i would love these apologists to call round to the Asian families of those three young men who were callously ran down trying to protect their property and tell them it was societies fault not the murdering piece of shit rioter that did it . And in reply to the ****wit who was banging on about civil liberties exactly what civil liberties did those rioters accord anyone else ?

You fvcking dopey cvnt

[I am Rod Hull]

Bring back the Birch...

This..

Not this..

[Blinking Blue Owl]

Ozleicester is that your well balanced educated reply or your middle name .

[ozleicester]

Ozleicester is that your well balanced educated reply or your middle name .

I felt it would be a waste of my time to put together an appropriate and sensible response given that you didnt appear to understand any of my previous post and chose to label me as a fvckwit.

However, as you have asked...

The disgusting looters and criminals accorded no civil liberties to anyone and are being charged and (overly harshly in some cases) punished as a result.

However now.... you, i and the rest of the 60 million + people who did nothing wrong, run the risk of being punished by, having our internet and communication devices shut down at will, run the risk of being confined to our homes at the behest of some public schoolboy who thinks he knows whats good for me...we even may not be able to buy face masks without identification

[Webbo]

4 years in prison because some idiot posted something on facebook, that's insane.

That'll be reduced to 18 months on appeal of which they'll serve about 6.

[Rincewind]

This was in my who to follow list on twitter

@leicspolice

Why not pop in and say hi.

or

@WayneRooney

@Lord_Sugar

[Smudge]

That'll be reduced to 18 months on appeal of which they'll serve about 6.

See, you moderate and don't know you're doing it

[Blinking Blue Owl]

Ozleicester thank you for the reply without the abuse it suits you better . I agree with your last post entirely . The thing is that just makes me hate the rioters even more for giving a government an excuse to use even more power over us .