As our home affairs correspondent, Daniel Sandford, writes, most of the sentences we've seen have followed a similar trend - landing somewhere between two years and three years and four months.

Only three people have received more severe sentences than the upper end of that spectrum, which includes one we saw today: Thomas Birley, 27, of Swinton, was jailed for nine years after pleading guilty to a charge of arson with intent to endanger life, violent disorder and possessing an offensive weapon.

His acts, described by the judge as one of the worst cases the court had heard related to the riot outside a hotel housing asylum seekers, left staff inside fearing for their lives.

We're going to be pausing our coverage now, but you can watch Birley's arrest and some of the footage of him outside that hotel during rioting in Rotherham below.

This page was edited by Aoife Walsh and Johanna Chisholm and was written by Seher Asaf, Ben Hatton and Oli Constable.

We're soon going to be pausing our live coverage of the sentences handed down today in courts across the UK.

Before we go, here's a recap of the key developments:

• Thomas Birley, of Swinton, was jailed for nine years, the longest prison sentence so far following the disorder last month
• The 27-year-old took party in violent riots outside a hotel used to house asylum seekers in Rotherham
• The oldest person to be charged over the unrest, 81-year-old Keith Edwards, of King Lake, The Meadows, pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him at Nottingham Magistrates' Court
• Edwards was charged with threatening behaviour with an intent to provoke unlawful violence
• Suspended Labour councillor Ricky Jones, 57, pleaded not guilty to the charge of encouraging violent disorder over comments at an anti-fascist protest in London
• Police have made 1,380 arrests and 863 charges have been brought in total since the unrest began in June

Image source, South Yorkshire Police

Image source, Reuters

We can now bring you the latest figures from the National Police Chief's Council (NPCC) on the total number of people arrested and charged in connection to last month's disorder.

Since July 29, police have a made 1,380 arrests, while 863 charges have been brought together with the Crown Prosecution Service.

Sam Harrison
Reporting from Nottingham Magistrates' Court

Image source, PA Media

The oldest person to be charged in the aftermath of violent protests across England in August has pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.

Keith Edwards, 81, was arrested after protests in Nottingham City Centre on 3 August. Rival groups had to be separated by police as violence broke out on Old Market Square.

Despite his age, Edwards, of Kinglake Place, The Meadows, was charged with threatening behaviour with an intent to provoke unlawful violence.

Today, at Nottingham Magistrates' Court, he walked slowly into court for his first appearance. After speaking to confirm his name and address, Edwards appeared to listen attentively to the judge, before pleading not guilty to the charges.

Edwards’ defence said he had been walking in the city centre and was not involved in the protest.

The defence added that he only intervened when he saw someone being arrested on the ground. They also said he was concerned about the chaos as his nephew had been injured whilst serving as a police officer.

His case will next be heard at Nottingham Crown Court on 7 October.

Edwards is one of many men to have appeared in court since the protests took place. At 81, he’s 70 years older than the youngest person to be charged.

Daniel Sandford
Home affairs correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

So far, of the approximately 250 people who have been jailed following this summer’s riots, there are three outliers.

The BBC has been tracking close to 600 cases moving through the courts. More than 260 have been sentenced, but only three people have received sentences of more than three years and four months.

Thomas Birley, 27, of Swinton, Rotherham, was jailed today for arson for nine years.

David Wilkinson, 48, of Lorraine Street, Hull, was given a six-year prison sentence on 16 August for racially aggravated criminal damage.

And John Honey, 25, of Park Grove, Hull, was given four years and eight months also for racially aggravated criminal damage.

Majority of the sentences have been for between two years and three years and four months.

That is because the maximum sentence for the most common charge – violent disorder – is five years (60 months). People who pleaded guilty early get a one-third discount which reduces the maximum sentence to 40 months - or three years and four months.

Around 400 people have now been charged with violent disorder, according to the BBC tracker.

Charges and arrests in connection to the riots that broke out in parts of the UK last month are continuing to come through.

Here's a look at some of the cases that have been reported in the last 24 hours:

• Louis Instone, 19, of Leyland Road, in Southport, has been charged with violent disorder in relation to the Southport riot on Tuesday 30 July and is set to appear at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court today
• A 21-year-old woman also from Southport has also been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder in connection to the incident in Southportsou
• Michael Tarling, 42, of Stoke Gifford, has been charged with violent disorder, following clashes between protesters and police in Bristol. He will appear at Bristol Magistrates’ Court
• Also appearing at the same court is Wayne Murray, 52, of Winterbourne, who was charged with violent disorder linked to last month’s riots in Bristol
• A 23-year-old man was charged in relation to an incident involving abuse shouted at police and a residential property being attacked. He's due to appear at Teesside Magistrates Court on Friday 27 September

Image source, PA Media

Moving away from the courts, we can now bring you an update on prison numbers in England and Wales, where new figures show they have hit a record high for the second week in a row.

The figure now stands at 88,521, according to the Ministry of Justice.

This is 171 more than the previous record set at the end of last week and 1,159 higher than the week that riots began earlier this summer.

It comes just days before the start of an emergency early release scheme for some prisoners, which is being implemented to ease overcrowding.

The plan will see some offenders who have spent 40% of their sentence in jail released on licence.

That scheme, initially worked on by outgoing Conservative ministers but implemented by the Labour government, begins on 10 September as a means of freeing up around 5,500 beds to hold newly-sentenced criminals.

It excludes people convicted of sex offences, terrorism, domestic abuse and some violent crimes.

But some of those places are expected to be rapidly taken up by people who have been charged or convicted of offences related to recent rioting.

Thomas Birley, 27, of Swinton, Rotherham, has received the longest sentence of anyone involved in the summer riots so far.

Here's a summary of what was heard in court today:

• Birley was involved in a riot outside the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham on 4 August, where asylum seekers were being housed at the time
• The 27-year-old was part of a group that smashed the hotel's windows and he added to a fire against the building
• He previously pleaded guilty to a charge of arson with intent to endanger life, violent disorder, and possessing an offensive weapon
• He was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court to nine years in prison, with a five-year extension on licence
• The Recorder of Sheffield Judge Jeremy Richardson KC said the lives of at least 50 people were endangered and those inside thought they would be killed
• Birley and people like him were "intent on spreading a hateful message of violence and racism", the judge said
• It was one of the worst cases the court had heard related to the incident, the judge added
• A pre-sentence report had views which “raised alarm” with a probation officer and there were hints of a “white supremacist mindset”, the judge said

• Birley's defence barrister said the former painter and decorator "expresses heartfelt remorse". The court also heard Birley is a “loner” and has a learning disorder and mental disability

Oli Constable
Reporting from Sheffield Crown Court

Birley has been jailed for nine years for taking part in a riot in Rotherham on 4 August – the highest prison sentence handed out by judges following widespread violence and rioting.

He was part of a group which helped smash windows at the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers and added wood to a fire against the building, which housed asylum seekers.

Birley, 27, of Swinton, Rotherham, previously pleaded guilty to a charge of arson with intent to endanger life, violent disorder, and possessing an offensive weapon.

At Sheffield Crown Court, the Recorder of Sheffield Judge Jeremy Richardson KC said: “You are unquestionably a dangerous offender.”

His sentence is nine years in prison, with a five-year extension on licence.

Oli Constable
Reporting from Sheffield Crown Court

Birley has highly relevant previous convictions, including criminal damage, attacking emergency workers, and racially aggravated harassment, the court hears.

The 27-year-old, of Swinton, had previously been sentenced for some of those offences, the court is told.

A pre-sentence report had views which “raised alarm” with a probation officer, the judge says.

There were hints of a “white supremacist mindset”, Judge Richardson adds.

Oli Constable
Reporting from Sheffield Crown Court

Birley threw a large bin at riot police, we hear in court.

It happened after he had picked up a police baton and “took a fighting stance” at the police line.

A photo from a journalist on the day shows Birley, at the front of the violence, holding the black baton.

“You were at the front of the crowd when you waved the item towards officers in a very threatening way," Judge Richardson says.

Oli Constable
Reporting from Sheffield Crown Court

"I have now watched much recorded CCTV and recorded footage of events,” Judge Richardson tells Birley.

He is listening to the sentencing alongside a dock officer, which his hands placed on his knees, looking straight forward.

“It is clear as clear could be, you and many like you were intent on spreading a hateful message of violence and racism.

“You were well to the fore in all of this,” Judge Richardson adds.

We hear how Birley was part of a “mob” who smashed windows on the lower floor of the hotel.

“The disorder was grotesque.”

Oli Constable
Reporting from Sheffield Crown Court

During the violence, 64 police officers were injured, including a number of animals used by police forces at the scene, we are told by the judge.

“Each one of those officers was doing his or her duty to maintain order in very difficult circumstances,” he adds, praising the work of the police.

“Those in the hotel were terrified by what was happening outside,” Judge Richardson says.

“They were in peril of being killed or seriously injured. You intended to endanger the lives of them all.”

Oli Constable
Reporting from Sheffield Crown Court

“This case is unquestionably one of the worst of the many cases which have come before this court that have concerned the events of the Holiday Inn Express hotel in Rotherham on Sunday 4 August 2024,” Judge Jeremy Richardson KC tells the court.

After starting peacefully, the protests soon turned into violence with chants directed towards the asylum seekers living in the hotel at the time.

“It was a desire to perpetrate mob rule and commit very serious criminal offences in the process,” the judge adds.

“From first to last, the venom of racism infected the entirety of what occurred.”

Oli Constable
Reporting from Sheffield Crown Court

The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, has returned to the court room here in Sheffield.

Thomas Birley, sat in the dock, is about to hear his sentence, for taking part in violence outside a hotel in Rotherham last month. He has already admitted arson with intent to endanger life, the first count on the charge sheet.

“You must listen with great care to what I am about to say,” Judge Richardson says.

“The maximum sentence for the first count is life imprisonment.”

While we wait for a sentence to be handed down in Sheffield, let's take a look at where the unrest spread across across England, and Northern Ireland, after the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport in July.

Crowds attacked mosques and accommodation housing asylum seekers, cars and buildings were set on fire, and shops looted. The Police Federation estimated more than 100 officers were injured.

The disorder was fuelled by misinformation online, the far-right and anti-immigration sentiment.

Counter-demonstrators responded with a series of rallies, which you can read more about here.

Oli Constable
Reporting from Sheffield Crown Court

“He is ashamed,” says Birley's defence barrister Dermot Hughes, as he finishes his mitigation.

Birley has already admitted being part of the violent disorder at the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, on 4 August.

He also pleaded guilty to arson with intent to endanger life and possessing an offensive weapon, namely a police baton.

The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, said this is “an exceptionally serious case”, one he must consider “with great care”.

Sentencing is due to start in less than 30 minutes.

Oli Constable
Reporting from Sheffield Crown Court

Image source, Getty Images

This is Thomas Birley, wielding a police baton.

He has already admitted having it, taking part in violent disorder, and committing arson with intent to endanger life, following large-scale violence at the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham.

His defence barrister, Dermot Hughes, claims former painter and decorator Birley was “appalled” by his actions on 4 August.

This included putting items on top of a bin fire, which was pushed against a fire door.

“He expresses heartfelt remorse,” Hughes tells the court.

The judge is continuing to listen to the mitigation, which includes how Birley is a “loner” and has a learning disorder and mental disability.

Oli Constable
Reporting from Sheffield Crown Court

We’re hearing how staff at the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham were left thinking they were going to die, as rioters set fire to part of the hotel.

Paul Coulson, a maintenance manager, said staff were ushered into a panic room and barricaded themselves behind fridges and freezers.

They were “scared to death” as they could smell smoke, he said in a statement read to the court.

Staff watched videos from outside the hotel, which was housing about 200 asylum seekers, as violence flared with police outside. Thomas Birley is accused of being part of that violence, the court hears.

“He describes how they thought they were going to burn to death,” prosecutor Alisha Kaye says.

Oli Constable
Reporting from Sheffield Crown Court

Over in Sheffield Crown Court, Thomas Birley now sits in the dock, dressed in a black and grey zipped sweatshirt.

He’s hearing how he was part of large-scale disorder, with the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham being badly damaged by rocks being thrown and fires being started.

CCTV has been played to the court, showing the defendant, identified wearing a black hooded coat and red mask, placing wood on top of a fire.

This fire had been started when a bin was set alight, in front of an external fire door of the hotel.

He pulls down his mask to shout abuse at police.

The video goes on to show him manoeuvring a large piece of chipboard onto the fire, which takes hold quickly.