EIGHTEEN months for throwing a few rocks may sound like a stiff sentence, but there is very little public sympathy for people like Cole Stewart, 18, from Darlington who was caught up in last week’s disturbances.

He had deliberately gone to the Gladstone Street area of town where thugs were targeting a mosque. There was debate in court about whether he had a racist motive, but he was involved in action that was bound to terrorise a minority community. That is appalling. That fear will take years to dispel, and Darlington as a town is so much poorer to have such a cancer eating into it.

Then, when he couldn’t get near the mosque, he turned to throwing bricks at police officers – young men, like him, who were doing their job, who were protecting the community and safeguarding people and property.

He even celebrated when he hit one of the officers.

And then when police moved into arrest him, he squeaked “I’m a child” in an apparent attempt to absolve himself of responsibility for his actions.

That’s why there is little public sympathy. Indeed, there is public support for the tough line being taken by the criminal justice system which is handing out exemplary sentences to show that this sort of behaviour – no matter from where it stems – is not acceptable.

Others present in that car park should be fearful that they, too, will face justice. Even if they don’t, next time someone hiding on social media tries to stir things up, they will be wise enough to resist.

Eighteen months is a long time which, hopefully, the penal system can use to re-educate Stewart so that when he re-emerges he is man enough to understand the difference between right and very wrong so that he can contribute positively to his town.