TWO men sentenced to four years for setting up Facebook pages inciting others to riot yesterday challenged their “manifestly excessive” custodial terms.

Lawyers for Jordan Blackshaw, 20, of Northwich, and Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan, 22, of Warrington, told three Court of Appeal judges what their clients had done was “monumentally foolish”, “hugely stupid” and “hugely shortsighted”.

But they urged the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, to rule their sentences were too long.

The judges are hearing 10 cases stemming from the rioting and looting which took place in several English cities.

One of the key issues is whether tough sentences handed down were “proportionate” in the light of the seriousness of the riots, or were excessive.

Blackshaw and Sutcliffe-Keenan pleaded guilty to intentionally encouraging another to assist the commission of an indictable offence.

Chester Crown Court heard Blackshaw set up a Facebook “event” called Smash Down In Northwich Town but nobody turned up at the pre-arranged meeting point outside a McDonald’s restaurant.

Sutcliffe-Keenan’s page, The Warrington Riots, invited people to “riot” on the evening of Wednesday August 10 between 7pm and 10pm.

Gareth Roberts, counsel for Blackshaw, said: “It was a spontaneous act carried out in stupidity rather than anything more serious.”

Rebecca Tanner, representing Sutcliffe-Keenan, told the court his actions on that day were “hugely stupid and hugely short-sighted”, but the sentence was “simply too long”.

Lord Judge said the court would try to produce its judgment next week.