Canada

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A man identiifed as Ryan Dickinson throws a newspaper box in an image taken from video.The first person convicted of participating in last summer's Stanley Cup riot is expected to learn Thursday how long he'll be in jail for joining in the massive crime spree. A B.C. provincial court judge will likely sentence Ryan Dickinson to between one year and 18 months, each end of that range suggested by his own lawyer and the Crown. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Global News

The rioters who participated in the chaos that swept through downtown Vancouver after the Stanley Cup final last year should be punished not just for their own actions, but for the destruction wrought by the entire mob, a judge ruled Thursday as he sentenced the first person convicted in the riot to 17 months in jail.

Ryan Dickinson, 20, admitted to trashing an unnmarked police car and vandalzing a clothing store, but he claimed he was merely "caught up in the moment" and argued his crimes weren't as serious as other rioters who were on the streets that night.

But provincial court Judge Malcolm MacLean rejected that argument, concluding that even though Dickinson didn't assault anyone, set fires or loot stores, his actions nonetheless encouraged others to do so.

"A riot is a serious threat to civil order and the rule of law," MacLean told a packed courtroom, as Dickinson sat beside his lawyer wearing a red jail uniform.

"His behaviour would no doubt have the effect of encouraging and emboldening others to participate in the riot."

Dickinson pleaded guilty to participating in a riot, as well as breaching bail conditions from an unrelated assault charge. He admitted to using a road barricade and a newspaper box to damage an unmarked police car, and then later tossing a mannequin and a newspaper box at the window of a clothing store several blocks away.

The Crown labelled Dickinson an "instigator," casting him as a violent, angry young man who appeared to be enjoying himself, and asked for as much as 18 months in jail for the riot charge. The prosecutor pointed to his criminal record, which includes a violent assault from 2010, as another reason for a significant jail term.

Dickinson's defence lawyer asked for one year.

MacLean sentenced Dickinson to 16 months for participating in a riot and another month for breaching his bail conditions.

Dickinson has been in custody since December, and with credit for time served, he has 13 and a half months left in his sentence. He'll also be on probation for two years after his release.