ANNE Rylatt is correct with her letter (Rioter’s punishment does not fit the crime).

This 20-year-old young man, Francis Fernie, studies politics and works consistently helping York’s more disadvantaged residents.

Because of this he will be more aware than most of a government choosing to pour money into wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and maintain pointless expensive military presence around the world while cutting back on financial help for those who really need it. Fortunately he is prepared to demonstrate against this and as anyone who has done this knows, got caught up in riot police/kettling and the general confusion.

Under these circumstances a suspended sentence would have been more appropriate. It will be interesting to see if anyone amongst the whole Murdoch/News Corporation/police pay-off fiasco unravelling before us receives a one-year prison sentence – I doubt it.

Jonathan Charles Bonner, Huntington Road, York.