I HAVE often read in The Press of offenders in York being finally put behind bars after months and sometimes years with strings of offences, terrorising their neighbourhood with unsociable behaviour such as GBH, theft and other criminal activities.

Then we have the case of a young man, Frank Fernie, a York student sent to prison for throwing a protest placard at the police line in the London protest march last March.

This, I am led to believe, was totally out of character for this person who did charity and community work around York. He went to London to join in a peaceful protest, but unfortunately got caught up in the riots that occurred and, in the heat of the moment, did a foolish thing.

I am sure he regrets the action he took. Of course what he did was wrong, but to lock him up for a year – possibly stopping him going to university and then on to greater things in life – when the low-life and no-hopers of this world will continue to make life a misery for us seems unfair.

I do not know Mr Fernie, but I wish him well and I hope the campaign to have him released will come to a swift conclusion.

David J Wilde Acomb, York.