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Kevin Fenlon

A TEENAGE gang ringleader who terrorised the area of Fearnhead will serve seven months in detention after he broke the terms of his Asbo.

Kevin Fenlon, aged 18, had been given the anti-social behaviour order last September after admitting assault by beating, two counts of using threatening words or behaviour and two of causing criminal damage.

The shaven-headed thug, of Blackledge Close, Cinnamon Brow, had kicked a man in the face in November 2006, telling him: "I'm in the right mind to stamp on your head".

In September, Fenlon - who was also arrested in the wake of Garry Newlove's death in August but released without charge - had been banned from gathering in groups of three or more and drinking alcohol in public. He had also been banned for two years from associating with four people, including one of Mr Newlove's murderers, 19-year-old Adam Swellings.

At that earlier hearing he had also received a three-month prison sentence in a young offenders institution, which was suspended for a year.

But at Runcorn Magistrates' Court on Thursday he admitted breaching the conditions of that Asbo and was re-sentenced.

Jonathan Egan, prosecuting, said that one of the conditions had been that Fenlon did not act in a manner that was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to other people'.

However, on February 20 this year Fenlon was contacted by his friend Phillip Harrison, who had got into an argument with a group, including Phillip Bayliss.

Fenlon went to Mr Bayliss's home. Mr Harrison was outside talking on his phone to Mr Bayliss and he passed the phone to Fenlon.

Mr Egan said: "Fenlon, being in an agitated state as a result of the dispute, started shouting and swearing down the phone at Mr Bayliss."

Claire Thomas, representing Fenlon, said the teenager only became involved because of his friend.

She said: "Mr Fenlon tells me he wouldn't have been involved had it not been for problems at his own property. A window and door had been smashed and he believed it had something to do with the group."

Magistrates said Mr Bayliss had previously been a prosecution witness in proceedings against Fenlon and that this offence was so serious that neither a fine nor a community sentence would be sufficient.

Fenlon stood with his arms folded as he was sentenced to four months in a young offenders institute, to run consecutively with his previous sentence.

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said he was pleased that anti-social behaviour was not being tolerated and that the sentence indicated the view the bench took of breaches of court orders.

Warrington police's east inspector Derek Lockie said he was absolutely delighted' with the sentence.

He said: "We recognise through the proactive work we do that Kevin Fenlon was a ringleader for trouble in our community and he has links in other areas.

"The ASBO he received was criticised at the time but if you enforce ASBOs correctly with the support of other agencies, as we have, then you do get results.

"This sends a message out to the community that if people do get an ASBO we will police it stringently. This is down to the community putting faith back in the proactive type of policing we are doing here and giving us information and us showing that we are taking action."

8:03am Thursday 27th March 2008

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