A THUG who robbed a paperboy on his morning round was spared jail even though he has been in trouble since.

Apprentice bricklayer Daniel Dwyer, 20, had his sentence deferred for five months by a judge to see if he could keep his nose clean. But a court heard Dwyer had recently been convicted of a public order offence, claiming it was not his fault.

Judge Raymond Bennett said if the defendant, who had spent a month in custody, kept out of trouble, he would have been given a conditional discharge. He added that Dwyer, who had bullied the 16-year-old victim, had now got a job, was doing much better and was already subject of a community punishment order.

Dwyer, of Aitken Street, Accrington, admitted robbery at Burnley Crown Court. He was given 60 hours community punishment.

The court heard Dwyer committed the offence in October 2001, when he punched the boy in the face before helping himself to a paper.

Dwyer denied the charge. Martin Hackett, for Dwyer, said that since sentence was deferred, Dwyer had seemed to have calmed down.