A TEENAGER has been banned from Blackburn Shopping Centre after he abused and frightened shoppers and staff.

The Blackburn youth has become the first person in the county and one of the first in the country to be subject to an Anti Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) - part of Home Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw's Crime and Disorder Act.

The 15-year-old was ordered not to enter the shopping centre area after he was found to be responsible for abusing and frightening members of the public and shop workers.

Stipendiary Magistrate John Finestein granted the order at Blackburn magistrates yesterday after hearing evidence of the defendant's continuously offensive behaviour to shoppers and staff in the shopping centre area.

But Mr Finestein also imposed an order banning media identification of the youth. While the exclusion order is in force, the Lancashire Evening Telegraph is unable to identify the youth to people who use and work in the shopping centre.

The teenager has a history of troublemaking in the shopping centre area where he has been abusive to shoppers, verbally abused women and frightened members of the public.

The ASBO prevents him from entering the shopping centre area, using the Ainsworth Street link bridge and some of King William Street. He has also been ordered not to use threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour.

ASBOs can be applied for only by the police and local authorities and are imposed by magistrates court. Although ASBOs are civil orders, they are backed by criminal sanctions. If the 15-year-old breaches the order he can be prosecuted and if found guilty he could then be fined or sent to prison by the criminal courts.

The order was granted against the teenager because both the council and police believed he had repeatedly behaved in a way which had caused harassment, alarm and distress to people in the shopping centre.

The order is in force until the end of May 2002 and if he breaks it he will be brought back before the courts to be punished.

Coun Malcolm Doherty, Blackburn with Darwen Council leader, said: "The council and police have worked together at every opportunity to try and help this young man and stop his threatening and abusive behaviour from escalating.

"This order is the first in Lancashire and we believe it is a new way of making people accountable for their actions."

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