A NOTORIOUS teenage offender, dubbed Lambton Worm Boy by police, has locked up for a year for his latest misdemeanours.

The 17-year-old youth, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was nicknamed after the legendary beast of medieval folklore that7 terrorised the people of Chester-le-Street and surrounding area.

Lambton Worm Boy hit the headlines in in May 2000 when a section of Front Street, Chester-le-Street, was sealed off as the bare-chested then 12-year-old threw slates from shop roofs.

His latest bout of offending included confronting police with a samurai sword at a house in the town in April, sparking a 24-hour 'youth hunt.'

Officers answering complaints of damage to house doors in the Sixth Avenue and Third Avenue areas, called at a property in Fifth Avenue, where they came across the young offender armed with the 3ft weapon in the front room. The officers retreated and radioed for assistance while the youth fled via the back door.

Further reports were made to police of an armed youth wandering the area later that night, but a search, including use of the police helicopter, drew a blank.

It was only 24 hours later that he was arrested at a house in the nearby village of Bournmoor.

He was accused of affray and two counts of causing criminal damage, for which he received a six-month detention order at Consett Youth Court earlier this month after admitting the charges.

Following a separate incident he was also accused of burglary at a house in Woodstone Village, Fencehouses.

The case was to go before Durham Crown Court this week, but it was sent back to be dealt with by the youth court due to a legal technicality.

He made a further admission to the burglary charge and was sentenced to a 12-month detention and training order by the bench, at the latest hearing in Consett.

The court heard that in the break-in at the house, in Norham Crescent, he took a number of valuables, including a Hoover vacuum cleaner, a set of car keys, ornaments, dish washer tablets and £280 in cash.