Rioters jailed for longer

About 2,710 people had appeared in court by January 1 following the looting and violence which spread across English cities last August, the Ministry of Justice said.

A total of 945 of the 1,483 found guilty and sentenced were jailed immediately, for an average of 14.2 months.

This was much higher than the average 3.7 months for those convicted by magistrates but sentenced at any court for similar offences in England and Wales in 2010, the figures showed.

Overall, 53 per cent were aged under 20, 49 per cent were facing burglary charges, and 21 per cent were accused of violent disorder.