THE use of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders was the subject of intense political debate during the election campaign.

The Government sees them as a key weapon in the fight against crime, while the Tories decry them as a weak alternative to prison.

Yesterday's case at Newcastle Crown Court, in which 16-year-old Gary Prescott admitted killing family man Thomas Noble, places another question mark over Asbos.

Eight days before the killing, Prescott had been given an Asbo intended to prevent him causing harassment, alarm or distress, drinking in the street or stealing vehicles. It did not stop him killing an innocent man who had simply tried to help others.

Figures from the Home Office show that 42 per cent of Asbos are breached. It is a very disappointing statistic which fuels doubts about the role of Asbos in the criminal justice system.

In the case of Gary Prescott, an Asbo was shown to be meaningless, with tragic consequences, because he was a particularly violent individual.

But the Home Office figures, worrying though they are, also show that the majority of the orders are working and preventing various forms of anti-social behaviour.

We therefore believe that they are worth persisting with as a final warning that anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated.

If that final warning is ignored, however, offenders have forfeited their right to freedom and the courts should come down hard on them.