A BLACKPOOL 15-year-old will not be allowed out of her home between 9pm and 6am for two years after magistrates decided the community needed protecting from her anti-social behaviour.

Kimberley Redford, of Addison Crescent, Layton was in Blackpool Magistrates Court on Thursday (March 13) as an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) -- including a curfew and ban from entering various church and educational establishments -- was imposed.

Blackpool Police applied for the order following Redford's 'persistent' anti-social behaviour, including criminal damage, being drunk and disorderly and an assault. They found that she had harassed, alarmed and distressed the public.

PC Damian Kitt, Brunswick community beat manager, presented logs of complaints from the public about the youngster's behaviour from a six-month period from July 23, 2002 to January 23 this year, as well as statements from himself and other officers and details of previous convictions.

He told the court the teenager had "no regard or respect for people in a position of authority", that on their first meeting she had sworn at him and that he had seen her appear drunk and disorderly on a youth club trip to Stanley Park, lashing out at other children with a golf club.

Defence counsel Mr Duffy told the court that a large amount of the evidence was based on reports from the constabulary's Sleuth computer database, which was an 'intelligence tool' only, and that these reports had not necessarily been tested for truth.

But magistrates decided PC Kitt's evidence did include proven instances of anti-social behaviour, warranting a two year order.

The teenager is now banned from entering Blackpool town centre and arcades there between 6pm and 6am, from entering the grounds or buildings of St Thomas Church, Devonshire Road or the Isis Centre, Talbot Road, from going into Queen's Park estate, Laycock Gate estate -- unless visiting the boys' and girls' club on an educational visit -- or Devonshire Road junior or infant school.

She will not be allowed outside her home between 9pm and 6am unless on an organised visit for 'educational purposes' and she is also prohibited from drinking alcohol in a public place or being drunk in public, causing harassment, distress or alarm to any person or inciting anyone else to do so, or causing any criminal damage to any property.

A defence request to impose reporting restrictions, which would have prevented Redford from being identified, was rejected after representations from the Citizen.