THE mother of a 15-year-old boy who suffered a broken arm after a newsagent struck him with a snooker cue says the man should have gone to jail.

Peter Bretherton, who owns Bretherton's Newsagents, Alder Drive, Hoghton, pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm and was given a three-month conditional discharge with £35 costs by Chorley magistrates but not ordered to pay any compensation because of the teenager's behaviour before the attack.

Bretherton said he had been plagued by a gang of youths, including the teenager, throwing stones at his window and lashed out when they wouldn't go away last November.

The boy's mother said he should never have taken the law into his own hands and criticised magistrates for jailing him.

Magistrates said they were "greatly concerned" at the lack of support Bretherton received after he called police to the incident and the newsagent has been backed by Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle.

Mr Hoyle said: "I think the decision taken by the court and what has been stated by the magistrates about the lack of police support has to be questioned. I will be writing and asking why this man was allowed to be let down and what they are going to do about the situation."

The mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: "My son has been made out to be a troublemaker who hangs round outside shops, when in fact he was the one who was attacked and had his arm broken.

"I am outraged at the court's decision. The system is obviously weighted in favour of criminals.

"My son is a hard working lad who has held down a part-time job for two years and has just taken 12 GCSEs.

"He's never been in trouble with the police before and was just walking past the shop and walking away when he was hit from behind with the snooker cue.

"He had to spend six weeks in plaster and missed his mock exams. Now he has no predicted grades and his future could be in tatters if he doesn't get the marks he needs to go to college."

"This has all been made out to be such a one-sided story.

"I do think there are problems with juveniles and there's trouble on the street, but what kind of message does it send out to kids when a man's committed a violent assault and walks free from court.

Peter Bretherton said the boy was one of the gang throwing stones and that they had become such a problem in the area that more than 400 people had signed a petition to try to get rid of them.

He added: "I'm not saying this lad was one of the worst, but there's no way he was a complete innocent. I've seen him with this group of youths many times."

But Supt Mike Barton, operations manager forLancashire Police's southern division, said officers attend thousands of reports of juvenile nuisance each year and that it was up to local residents to try and sort the problems out between themselves.

He added: "I have to say that in the majority of cases criminal offences have not taken place."

On sentencing him for his actions, Chorley Magistrates said they were 'greatly concerned' about the lack of police support he had received.

John Dewhurst, defending, said the shopkeeper had called the police on numerous occasions to ask them to move the vandals away but was told unless they were committing an offence they would deal with it.