The North West Evening Mail has named a teenage thug who attempted to gag the paper.

The 17-year-old boy, who is the subject of an anti-social behaviour order, threatened the newspaper with legal action in a bid to stop his name being published.

But after taking legal advice the Evening Mail has decided to name him.

It successfully applied to lift reporting restrictions when the boy appeared at Furness Youth Court last week, where he admitted charges of common assault, violent behaviour, disorderly behaviour and breaching his ASBO.

He is now awaiting sentence.

However, his solicitor claimed that naming him was not in the public interest and after the hearing he sent the Evening Mail a fax which said the paper could be prosecuted for contempt of court for publishing his client’s name before his appeal had been heard.

However reporting restrictions have not been re-imposed pending an appeal.

Evening Mail editor Steve Brauner told readers: “The court was right to allow the boy to be named.

“Police and the local authority went to great trouble and expense to secure the ASBO and their work will be pointless if the public is not made aware of the restrictions placed on this young person.”

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