AN 11-YEAR-OLD North-East hooligan has become the youngest person in the country to be ordered to change his behaviour by a court.

Four-foot tall Danny Ferguson, nicknamed the Tom Thumb Tearaway, was served with a two-year anti-social behaviour order yesterday by Teesside magistrates to stop him harassing residents of Stockton's Hardwick estate.

Danny's single mother, Sonia, 28, of Coatham Road, Stockton, has been placed under a parenting order, which means she must attend lessons for 12 weeks teaching her how to control and support her unruly son.

At yesterday's hearing, magistrates were told that during Danny's spate of anti-social behaviour he started fires, physically and verbally attacked families on the estate, and smashed toys belonging to other children.

He also terrorised children and staff at the estate's English Martyrs Primary School while trespassing on the school's grounds.

In court, Sergeant Adrian Bradley, who has been in charge of community policing in the area for two years, said: "I would say that his behaviour was outrageous.

"He was causing grave difficulties for the residents."

Under the order, Danny is banned from entering English Martyrs School or its grounds and other named properties on the estate without permission from the owners.

He must also stop lighting fires in public places, harassing people, throwing objects at people and swearing in public.

If he breaches the order, he could be taken into care or put into a secure unit.

The Chief Constable's solicitor, Gerard Tompkinson, told the court that Danny and his mother had received help from social services, the education service and the health service, but he continued to misbehave.

He went on to say that the mother and son had been sent letter from the head of Stockton police, Chief Superintendent Geoffrey Lee, expressing his concern about events in the estate.

Mr Tompkinson said: "The police say that these prohibitions are necessary for the better protection of residents in the Hardwick estate.

"These orders are not intended to be punitive. They are to put in place a raft of measures to protect the well-being, security and peace of mind of those people who are directly affected by that behaviour, which can make life a misery for a community."

Before the case, Danny's mother, who also has an eight-year-old son, agreed to the order being made, but she failed in an attempt to ban the media from reporting the case or identifying her son.

Court chairman David King said: "The community needs to be aware of these orders so they can be effective."

Addressing Danny, Mr King went on: "You have really got to change your behaviour and change very quickly.

"You are not to go around trying to scare people or get other people to go around frightening others."

The police have applied for other anti-social behaviour orders against two 13-year-olds who have been terrorising the same estate.

Their cases will be heard in the next two weeks.

This is the third anti-social behaviour order to be issued in Teesside, but the first to be given out in Stockton.

It is the first in the country to be issued to someone as young as Danny