Jailed for 16 months for stealing donuts
22nd August 2011
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Thomas Downey, 48, who stole a £17 box of Krispy Kreme donuts from the Manchester Piccadilly store during the riots has experienced the brunt of strict sentencing. 
The man who was caught by 20 riot police admitted to theft and was then jailed for 16 months.
Downey was reported to be intoxicated and had been released from jail 24 hours earlier for an ASBO; which he breached the terms of when entering Manchester city centre. The American donut store reported £17,000 worth of damage during the riots. An argument has arisen following the sentencing of recent rioters. Some state the sentences to be too soft, requesting for the criminals to be made examples of in order to ensure the rioting doesn’t spark a trend. After the first evening of sentencing Deputy assistant commissioner of the MET Police,Stephen Kavanagh, said; “Some of us have been disappointed by some of the early sentences we have seen, especially those officers who have been on the front line facing the violence and disorder.” But following two men being jailed for four years for using Facebook to incite riots and another given 18 months for having a stolen TV in his car Labour MP Paul Flynn wrote on his blog that the sentencing was being used by the government to 'claw back popularity'. He said; "How can this make sense? How does it compare with other crimes? What will it do to prison numbers? This is not government. It's a series of wild panic measures."
The man who was caught by 20 riot police admitted to theft and was then jailed for 16 months.Downey was reported to be intoxicated and had been released from jail 24 hours earlier for an ASBO; which he breached the terms of when entering Manchester city centre. The American donut store reported £17,000 worth of damage during the riots. An argument has arisen following the sentencing of recent rioters. Some state the sentences to be too soft, requesting for the criminals to be made examples of in order to ensure the rioting doesn’t spark a trend. After the first evening of sentencing Deputy assistant commissioner of the MET Police,Stephen Kavanagh, said; “Some of us have been disappointed by some of the early sentences we have seen, especially those officers who have been on the front line facing the violence and disorder.” But following two men being jailed for four years for using Facebook to incite riots and another given 18 months for having a stolen TV in his car Labour MP Paul Flynn wrote on his blog that the sentencing was being used by the government to 'claw back popularity'. He said; "How can this make sense? How does it compare with other crimes? What will it do to prison numbers? This is not government. It's a series of wild panic measures."
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