Riots: Mother jailed for handling looted shorts freed on appeal

Ursula Nevin slept through riots in Manchester but was jailed after accepting a pair of shorts looted by a friend A mother of two who slept through the riots but was jailed for handling a stolen pair of shorts that had been looted by a friend has been freed from prison on appeal. It is thought to be the first successful appeal against a sentence in relation to the disorder in England. Ursula Nevin, 24 was jailed for five months by a district judge at Manchester magistrates court earlier this week. The severity of the sentence caused concern as she had not actually been involving in rioting or looting. She had admitted accepting a pair of shorts that had been looted from a city centre shop by a friend. Judge Andrew Gilbart QC said he was setting aside the prison sentence because Nevin had not actually taken part in the riots. He ruled that the original decision was “wrong in principle” and instead he ordered Nevin to perform 75 hours of unpaid work for the community. Nevin was in bed at the time of the widespread disorder in Manchester city centre where her lodger, Gemma Corbett, helped herself to clothing and footwear from the Vans store and then took them back to the house they shared in Stretford, Greater Manchester. Nevin cried in the dock last Friday as District Judge Khalid Qureshi told her she was supposed to be a role model to her two young sons and criticised her for not speaking up and ordering the stolen haul to be moved out of the house. Judge Gilbart said on Friday that he had indicated in previous sentencing remarks on looters that a distinction could be made for people receiving stolen goods who had not been physically present during the disorder throughout Manchester and Salford last Tuesday. “Ursula Nevin did not go into Manchester city centre,” he said. “We regard it as wrong in principle that she was subject to a custodial sentence. “She must pay some sentence because she knew where the goods had come from. “Seventy-five hours of unpaid work appears to be the appropriate figure bearing in mind the guilty plea.” Addressing Nevin, who had no previous convictions, he said: “You must have found yourself, in the circumstances of the last week, trapped in a circle of hell. “The way you never get into that situation again is to show the courage to say ‘no’. “I am sure the courts will not be troubled by you again. Leave now and look after your children.” The defendant cried as the sentence was reduced, as did family members in the public gallery, including her mother. UK riots Sentencing Crime UK criminal justice Helen Carter guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 19, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.