Cases of ASBOs
used against children
Patrick & Louis Cairney - Two brothers, aged nine and five,
threatened with an order by police for disturbing their neighbours
by playing outside their house. The minimum age at which a child
can be given an ASBO is ten (July 2007)
Steven &
Simon Smith - Two
brothers banned from meeting in public (May 2007)
Lewis Green - A 10-year-old boy given an order (March
2007)
Keenan Skilling - A 12-year-old given an order which
imposes an evening curfew for the next five years (March 2007)
Steven James
Edwards - A 12-year-old
with learning disabilities given an order (February 2007)
Swindon "baby
asbos" - Swindon
Council is considering giving baby asbos to two 9-year-old boys.
These 12 month orders for children under 10 years of age were
introduced last year (September 2006)
Carrie Anne Gardner - A 17-year-old banned from travelling
on any train between Cardiff and Barry stations without an adult
accompanying her (September 2006)
Jimmy Fitzgerald - A 17-year-old faces jail if found
in the company of his elder brother at any point over the next
two years. Both are already serving prison sentences for breaching
their respective ASBOs (September 2006)
Daniel Osborn - A 17-year-old banned from entering
subways (September 2006)
Christian Plucknett - A 16-year-old banned from travelling
alone on the top deck of any bus in England and Wales (June 2006)
Charlie &
Aaron Brown - Twin
12-year-old brothers banned from being together during school
hours outside their family (April 2006)
Ashleene Gallagher - A 15-year-old girl given an ASBO for
disrupting a memorial service in honour of the London terrorist
attack victims (March 2006)
Anon - Police have applied for an ASBO against
a 15-year-old boy after he was found stealing newts from a neighbour's
pond (February 2006)
Gary Addy - A 16-year-old served an order forbidding
him from going within 50 metres of any school or college in Newham
without a headteacher's permission (October 2005)
Paul Daniels - A 14-year-old served an order than
includes a 10pm-7am curfew and a ban from congregating anywhere
in public with three or more people aged between 11 and 18 (September
2005)
Craig & Bobby
Loveridge - Ten and
13 year old brothers both given ASBOs (September 2005)
Nathan Copping - A 15-year-old served a two year order
who claims that he has been the victim of a vindictive campaign
by one neighbour who has made a series of complaints to the police.
Several neighbours came out in support of his stance, arguing
that the order is unjust and serves little purpose. Cases such
as these are particularly alarming if you consider how easy it
is to apply for an order (July 2005)
Nicky East - A 14-year-old prohibited from wearing
hooded tops with the hood up, or items which conceal his face,
apart from when the weather is bad. No qualification of what
constitutes "bad weather" is provided (July 2005)
Luke Dunlop - A 13-year-old persistent offender
banned from wearing a hood or cap at night and given an 8.30pm-7am
curfew (July 2005)
Mark Trippit - A 14-year-old banned from possessing,
carrying or using any aerosol spray or permanent marker pen in
a public place or open place in Surrey and from carrying matches,
cigarette lighters or lighter accelerant in a public place (Source:
Woking News and Mail, May 2005)
Joseph Newcombe - A four-year-old boy was threatened
with an order after he threw his toy at the car of a council
worker who was visiting his family's home. His mother claims
that two days later the official returned and announced she wanted
to give the child an ASBO. Tower Hamlets council has since made
it clear it does not plan to impose an order which is understandable
given the minimum age for a recipient is ten. This case is particularly
alarming if indicative of the level of understanding and training
the employees of relevant authorities receive given both the
dramatic rise in the number of orders being issued and the fact
that around 97% of applications are successful (March 2005)
Amasiah &
Tobijah Thompson
- 15 and 14-year-old brothers served an interim order banning
them from entering a half-mile exclusion zone around Villa Park
football stadium two hours before kickoff in response to their
attempts at "car minding" (February 2005)
Ryan Wilkinson - A 10-year-old boy banned from four
areas of Leeds and having any contact with 17 named youths for
the next 5 years. He is also subject to a 7pm to 7.30am curfew
unless accompanied by family members (February 2005)
Aaron Ellis - A 14-year-old with a string of convictions
for minor offences served a two year order which bans, among
other things, him from entering large areas of his home town,
entering certain shops, carrying alcohol or being drunk, and
intimidating or threatening anyone in Surrey. It also includes
a 10pm to 6am curfew (February 2005)
Kyle Major - A 16-year-old who suffers from a severe
form of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder served an order
(January 2005)
Luke Davies - A 17-year-old forbidden from using
the front door of his home until the age of 21 (January 2005)
Ben & Nathan
Weeks - Ten-year-old
twin brothers each served an order for misbehaving on their housing
estate. Simply looking through the windows of other flats on
their estate would constitute a breach (December 2004)
Adam Moore - A 17-year-old served an order primarily
banning him from a large part of the town in which he lives,
but which also prevents him from wearing a balaclava, scarf or
any other item of clothing designed to conceal his face (December
2004)
Ben Norris - A 17-year-old sentenced to four months'
youth detention after he broke his order in a 3am fracas with
police at his home. However, his lawyer revealed that over the
previous 14 months he had been charged with an offence on 19
separate occasions, none of which had resulted in a conviction.
His lawyer claimed this to be "a pretty outrageous statistic"
and that "he's been targeted and I am quite sure the conduct
of the police was entirely unacceptable" (November 2004)
Dean Bell - A 15-year-old served an order for
playing football in the street (October 2004)
Aneeze Williamson - An illiterate 11-year-old, who has
been excluded from school since the age of seven and since collected
a string of convictions, served an order with 13 legal clauses
including a ban from every street on his estate bar his own,
and an 8pm-7am curfew. The Times spent 3 days with the
boy and his mother who claims to be desperate for "the right
sort of help" (October 2004)
Jamie & Liam
Bradford - Two brothers,
aged 10 and 11, served an order banning them, among other things,
from congregating in a group of more than two people, riding
as a driver or passenger on a motorcycle, setting foot on any
school premises unless attending a lesson and entering any domestic
or commercial property without consent of the owner (October
2004)
"Press Road
Gang" - Six
members of the gang, who were banned from two estates in Neasden,
recently lost their appeal against the serving of their orders.
Three of the youths then took their case to the Court of Appeal
where they argued that the act of "naming and shaming"
breached their human rights. Lord Justice Kennedy rejected the
case and called both for stricter time limits on ASBO cases and
an end to the automatic right of appeal for people given an order.
The Times claims that the Metropolitan Police has written
to the Home Secretary and the Lord Chancellor asking them to
enact the latter recommendation. (See also Guardian "Despair as gang fights Asbos in court"
20/7/04) (October 2004)
Aaron Blinkho - A 14-year-old named as one of Britain's
youngest racists and served an order banning him from saying
a racist word, breaking a 7pm to 7am curfew, gathering in public
with more than two friends and entering certain areas near to
where he lives (October 2004)
Ruell White - A ten-year-old given an order for
threatening behaviour (July 2004)
James Thompson - Banned from riding or pushing a bike
(June 2004)
Lere Akinwale - A 16-year-old boy banned from behaving
in an anti-social manner at school. The five year order covers
the whole of England and Wales and comes, in part, as a response
to his disruption of a science class (May 2004)
Zach Tutin - The 13-year-old who was infamously
served an order banning him from using the word "grass"
anywhere in England or Wales for six years
Gareth Howell - A ten-year-old given a five-year order
(July 2003)
Nathan Wadley - A 16-year-old banned from showing
his tattoos, wearing a single golf glove, or wearing a balaclava
in public, anywhere in the country. He is also forbidden from
congregating in public places in groups of more than three people
(February 2003)
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