Facebook user jailed for inciting UK riots

A Facebook user who urged young people to "put Manchester on the map" by rioting during the summer disturbances has been sentenced to jail for three years. The judge who found Philip Scott Burgess, 22, guilty said organizers of the riots were just as guilty as participants, UK's The Telegraph reported. "Message to all - we need to start riot'n we need to put Manchester on the map, first lets riot king street Manchester, haha," Burgess had posted on his Facebook account at 11:44 a.m. of Aug. 9, The Telegraph reported. At about 4.30 p.m. that day, Burgess posted a defamatory message on his profile, on which he has hundreds of friends, about the ethnicity of some of the looters. He was also found to havee posted three more racist and inflammatory comments. Burgess, a native of Salford, was jailed for three years at Manchester Crown Court after pleading guilty to three counts of publishing written material to stir up racial hatred and encouraging or assisting the commission of a riot. The widespread UK disorder had involved scenes of violence, criminal damage and looting as an army of thugs took to the city's streets. A huge police response was needed to bring the situation under control. Police officers and vehicles were attacked before the situation was brought under control. Investigation showed Burgess posted messages under his profile name of "Philip Rio Burgess." Burgess was arrested at his home on August 16 as large numbers of police worked to identify and target any offenders involved in the looting and rioting. "The widespread disorder in Manchester city centre and Salford drew disbelief and shock. Everyone witnessed the disgraceful scenes of violence, looting and arson and it is clear that social networking sites were used to incite certain elements of this disorder," PC John Hepke from the Bolton West Neighbourhood Policing Team said. He added the comments Burgess posted on Facebook were clearly designed to incite people to commit disorder in Manchester just hours before those awful scenes. Not content with that, he continued to post racist and inflammatory comments on a public forum which were derogatory and offensive, he said. "Such postings could only have caused distress and upset to those his abuse was targeted against. I hope today's sentence sends a powerful message to those who choose to follow Burgess' example and use social networking sites irresponsibly and criminally that they will be dealt with harshly by the courts," he said. Assistant Chief Constable Ian Hopkins added police officers are continuing to identify those involved in the disorder, "whether it be a looter, someone who set fire to property, an offender involved in violent disorder or those who helped organise the disorder via social networking and we will pursue those offenders until they are brought to justice." — TJD, GMA News