A judge's decision to cut the sentence of an 18-year-old Bradford rioter was today cited as a landmark judgement by legal experts.

Imran Ghafoor's legal team successfully appealed against his four-and-a-half-year sentence because he was 17 when he took part in last year's disturbances.

At the Court of Appeal in London, Lord Justice Dyson reduced his sentence to 18 months in a young offender institution after taking into account human rights legislation.

Stephen Uttley, High Courts advocate for the Crown Prosecuting Service, who prosecuted the case, admitted the decision could have a major impact on other cases.

"This could be a cornerstone legal judgement with regard to young people in any criminal proceedings," he said.

"The spirit of the ruling is that young people have to be dealt with as young people and human rights does have an impact on our domestic law."

Mr Uttley said British law, which sentences the defendant at the time he is convicted or pleads guilty, still applied but the judgement included a second limb under human rights legislation which states the age of the defendant at the time of the offence must be taken into account.

He said the Crown Prosecution Service is now considering whether to appeal to the House of Lords over the point of law used in the case.

Ghafoor's case was put to the Court of Appeal by Ben Emmerson QC, with Tahir Khan the instructing barrister and solicitor Shehnaz Adam.

Miss Adam, of solicitors John Kelly and Co in Bradford, represented Gha-foor through his case and agreed it was a landmark ruling.

"If somebody is in the same position, then this will apply and they won't be getting the maximum punishment," he said. "It will be within a two-year limit. I understand there are other people who might want to base their case on our legal argument."

Speaking on behalf of the family, Ghafoor's 17-year-old brother Irfan said the family was relieved and delighted at the decision. "He just rang me and he is very happy about it. He was 100 per cent sure that the solicitors had got it right."

Gerry Sutcliffe, Labour MP for Bradford South, said: "It is people's right to have each individual case looked at but I do not support collective action. That is not the way forward."

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman would not comment, saying sentencing was a matter for the courts.

Judge Stephen Gullick, who passed the original sentence on Ghafoor at Bradford Crown Court in March, also did not want to comment.