A 12-YEAR-OLD boy with learning difficulties let a younger child follow him on to railway tracks where they narrowly cheated death, a court heard yesterday.

The older boy dived into bushes to avoid an oncoming train that passed only inches away from the five-year-old boy who had followed him.

Hartlepool Youth Court heard how the youngsters, from the Throston area of the town, strayed on to railway tracks near their homes on April 5 this year.

Neither can be named for legal reasons.

Sharon Campbell, prosecuting, told the hearing people watched in horror as the boys headed for the tracks as a train sped towards them.

She said: "The 12-year-old was seen to climb a steep railway embankment at the back of the Phoenix Community Centre. They were concerned because there was a younger child following him. They walked to the railway line just as a train was approaching.

"The train narrowly missed the five-year-old and the older boy jumped into some bushes nearby."

Appearing in court with his mother and grandmother, the 12-year-old pleaded guilty to trespassing on Railtrack property. Two charges of endangering the safety of persons and obstructing the railway were withdrawn.

John Relton, defending, said his client suffered from attention deficit disorder and described him as boisterous, hyperactive and occasionally prone to mischief.

Mr Relton said: "He had no relationship with or responsibility for that child. He merely followed him on to the line."

The boy was given a six-hour reparation order with the Children's Society during which Railtrack will talk to him about the dangers of railway lines.

Nearby residents have since called for improved safety measures on the railway embankment.