Teen girl tearaway gets another chance

A TEENAGE tearaway who was an accomplice in a town-centre robbery has avoided being slapped with an ASBO.

At a hearing at Oldham Magistrates Court yesterday District Judge James Prowse said he was willing to let the 15-year-old learn from her mistakes.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was part of a trio who robbed a 14-year-old boy of his mobile phone after threatening him with a Stanley knife last December. She also has past offences including burglary, robbery and common assault.

Judge Prowse said she had a history of simply not complying with anything, but added that she had in the main stuck to a strict court order she was under at the time of the robbery — apart from a stipulation that excluded her from Oldham town centre.

Having sentenced the 15-year-old to a four-month detention training order last month, which she is currently serving in custody, he added that it would be unfair to impose a lengthy anti social behaviour order (ASBO) without giving her a chance to reform.

Judge Prowse said: “The detention training order will have come as a considerable shock to her because her background is one where she has seldom, if ever, had to remain within reasonable boundaries set by others.

“She should be given an opportunity to comply when she is released on license for two months.”

He added: “If she returns to her previous anti-social behaviour, with or without further offending, there will be an unanswerable case for an ASBO.”