IT must have been tempting for Judge Peter Bowers to send the three 14 and 15-year-olds involved in the horrific treatment of a friend to some form of penal institution.

But he resisted that temptation.

An institution would have allowed them to rub shoulders with youngsters determined to pursue a career in crime, enabling them to pick up all the wrong sort of influences.

These three Newton Aycliffe teenagers have made one terrible error of judgement. They are now to be supervised and - what every teenager dreads - grounded for three months. They know that if they transgress again, they will be locked away. And they know that now they must settle down to their studies - it is only qualifications like GCSEs that will provide them with a future.

This was a shocking incident - particularly as two of the three perpetrators were girls - but the judge has sentenced correctly.

The real questions are for the 23-year-old who bought "dreadful quantities" of strong cider for the under-age kids and then disappeared when they drank it. That was asking for trouble.