A teenager too young to buy drink legally has been barred from all pubs and nightclubs in York.

Youth justices who banned the 17-year-old youth reminded him it was illegal for him to buy alcohol.

They were setting bail conditions after they adjourned sentence on a catalogue of drink-related offences in order that a psychiatric report could be prepared.

The youth, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to being drunk in public on March 14 and obstructing a police officer on April 1. He also admitted breaching conditional discharges imposed in February for being drunk in public and stealing a purse left on a table in a nightclub in January.

Mike Duffy, prosecuting, said police arrested the youth in Micklegate at about 1.15pm after he was expelled from Ziggy's nightclub.

They had seen him slumped in a number of doorways and did not release him from custody until 7am.

On April 1, a policeman spotted him trying to get into a police van while officers tried to arrest someone else. The youth was again drunk. The court heard the January offence was also drink-related.

For the youth, Kevin Blount said he was trying to get into the van to talk to a police officer because police were trying to arrest someone he knew.

He had come to York to escape a difficult childhood and had turned to alcohol to blot out his problems and make friends. The only people he knew were ones he met in pubs and nightclubs.

The youth accepted he had a drink problem. Youth justices adjourned the case for a psychiatric report on the suggestion of York Youth Offending Team, who interviewed the youth at court.

Updated: 11:21 Wednesday, April 04, 2001