POLICE have secured a Criminal Behaviour Order against a prolific teen offender from Peterlee who has been reprimanded for carrying out a racially aggravated assault and a string of other offences.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court last week charged with damaging property, racially aggravated assault, and affray.

After pleading guilty the offences, he was sentenced to eight months extension to a referral order already in place and ordered to pay £250 in compensation.

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In response to mounting concerns from the community, Peterlee Neighbourhood Policing Team also made an application for a Criminal Behaviour Order, presenting magistrates with information on how his behaviour is having a negative impact.

The application was granted and will remain in place for 18 months.

This will prevent the teenager from using or encouraging others to use threatening, intimidating, insulting or abusive words or behaviour in any public place, be verbally abusive to any local authority staff, probation staff or police personnel, or throw or encourage others to throw missiles of any kind at a person or property.

Breaching the conditions will lead to his arrest.

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Following the 16-year-olds court appearance, sergeant Harry Gott, of Peterlee Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “This teenager’s behaviour has had a significant impact on the community.

“We will not allow one person’s behaviour to have such a detrimental effect on people and we will use all the powers we have available to limit the impact.

“We will be monitoring his actions closely and we will not hesitate to use our power of arrest should we need to.”

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