Ratio Decidendi
Participation in group violence or public disorder justifies a heavier sentence than the individual acts might warrant if committed alone. The sentence must reflect the overall gravity of the disorder and the offender's role in it.
Facts
Multiple defendants were convicted following a violent demonstration at the Garden House Hotel, Cambridge.
Judgment Summary
Sachs LJ held that where offences are committed in the course of serious public disorder, the sentences must reflect the collective gravity. Individual mitigation carries less weight in the context of group violence.
Key Quotes
"Any participation whatever in an unlawful or riotous assembly is a serious offence... the individual offender's sentence must take account of the overall gravity of the occasion."
— Sachs LJ
Subsequent Treatment
Regularly cited in sentencing for public disorder offences.