A 15-year-old York boy has come close to imprisonment in what is believed to be the first sentence passed under Britain's new anti-neighbourhood nuisance law.

Jason Christopher Stewart broke the city's first anti-social behaviour order less than two months after it was made.

And though he appeared for sentence before York Youth Court where juveniles are usually guaranteed anonymity by law, the justices allowed the Evening Press to name him so the public can see how the courts and the police are giving the law teeth.

On January 17 as he made the order against Jason and two others, a stipendiary magistrate also allowed him to be named so the order could be properly enforced.

All three are barred from going within 50 metres of any business on Crichton Avenue, Clifton - but Jason was later spotted in a pizza take-away shop in the street.

Magistrates praised the city's police for their vigilance in spotting Jason in the shop and bringing him before the court.

They warned Jason that he had come very close to a spell in custody.

But his honesty in admitting he had broken the law by going into the shop had saved him from going to a young offenders institution.

Youth justices told Jason, of Burton Green, Clifton: "We cannot stress to you how close you have come to going to prison for quite some time.

"It is only because you have admitted the breach of this order at the earliest opportunity and fortunately you were behaving yourself in that pizza take-away that we are not going to send you to prison. This is your last chance."

They ordered him to do 20 hours at an attendance centre and made his parents pay the £70 court costs of bringing the case. The order remains in force until at least January 2002.

Superintendent John Lacy, of York police, said afterwards: "I am pleased to see that this new legislation has the full backing of the magistrates and my officers welcome their praise."

Andrew Moore, prosecuting, told the court that police saw Jason in the shop last Wednesday evening. The incident was unconnected with a disturbance in Clifton the previous day.

For Jason, John Howard said he had had a taste of custody because the police had not allowed him bail and he had had to wait most of the day in the court cells for his case to be heard.

He had also been told the seriousness of what he had done.

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