Tiny terror

Hyndburn magistrates heard that Aaron Stoddard, 15, of Spring Street, Accrington, has terrorised neighbours in Spring Hill and Church for years.

The bench made the tiny terror, who is just 4ft 11ins, subject to the borough's first interim anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) after hearing how he found fun in riding a motorised scooter on pavements and threatening to mow old people down.

Stoddard, who is due to move to Haslingden, was also the ringleader of a group found throwing snowballs at pensioners during the recent cold snap.

The bench opted to "name and shame" the teenager following requests from the police, Hyndburn Council and the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, who wanted people in the area to know who he was.

The interim order was made until a full hearing can take place on April 9 and involves 11 separate conditions, including a curfew on Stoddard, who may not enter any premises in the borough without permission of the owner or specific parts of Spring Hill and Church.

Sergeant Claire Holbrook, of Accrington police, told the court several agencies had been brought in to work with Stoddard over the last year to get him back to school and "on the right tracks".

She said: "He has been abusive to residents and they are genuinely scared of him. For a long period of time he had a go-ped -- a motorised scooter -- and local residents were complaining he was trying to knock them down on pavements. He's very abusive to most residents and anyone who asks him to curb his behaviour is met with foul language.

"Only last week he was in a group encouraging them to throw snowballs at the elderly. One hit an elderly lady directly in the face and she had only just had a heart attack. When asked to stop he said he was moving and the order wouldn't have any effect on him. There have been all sorts of anti-social behaviour over the last two years."

Sgt Holbrook told the court that on bonfire night, the 15-year-old had pulled up residents' fencing to get wood for a bonfire on the back street near his house, even breaking into one neighbour's garage.

The youngster regularly stays out until after midnight and sleeps all day, magistrates were told.

"This kind of behaviour is now set in stone and residents are scared of coming forward," said Sgt Holbrook.

The hearing was told Stoddard had a previous conviction for burglary and possession of cannabis resin.

Peter King, defending, asked the magistrates not to lift reporting restrictions, saying Stoddard was moving out of the area to Haslingden and had been made the subject of an eight-month referral order in November and was under the supervision of the Youth Offending Team.

"The application for this order is not strongly opposed. There are circumstances which I will not go into that perhaps cause this young man to be troubled and damaged. Aaron and his father, through me, would like to express their strong views that the court should have great care with the lifting of reporting restrictions that normally apply to youths."

Announcing the interim order presiding magistrate Les Timmis said: "Having considered all the arguments regarding reporting restrictions we agree entirely with the police point of view that there is a benefit in having the person named. We therefore agree to the reporting restrictions being lifted."

Failure to abide by the terms of the order would land the teenager in more trouble, he said.

Deputy leader of the council Jean Battle said: "I'm sure the residents who had to suffer from Stoddard's anti-social behaviour will welcome the court's decision to make this order. The fact that the new power to apply for an interim order has been used so soon after its introduction in December demonstrates the value of the close partnership that has been forged between the council and the police to curb antisocial behaviour in the borough."

Sgt Holbrook said: "I would like to wholeheartedly thank the community of Spring Hill in particular for their tenacity and strength in repeatedly bringing these problems to my attention.

"I would also like to thank them for their patience in relation to this matter and obviously the introduction of interim ASBOs has been very timely in bringing this boy to justice. This case has highlighted how the fear of crime is not always dictated by the size and strength of the aggressor. Stoddard has victimised and distressed many elderly residents in Spring Hill and Church who will now feel the benefit of this order."