Four year old branded anti-social...for throwing ball at car

31 March 2005

A FOUR-year-old child was threatened with an Anti-Social Behaviour Order for throwing a plastic football at a car, his angry mother has claimed.

Francis Jones said a Tower Hamlets council officer made the threat after her young son, Joseph Newcombe, threw his toy at the side of the official's car when she visited the family's home.

Mum-of-two Francis said although the football hit the side of the official's car without causing any damage, the officer returned two days later and announced she wanted to give Joseph an ASBO.

Joseph's mum was horrified by the alleged threat as ASBOs are normally used on thugs who intimidate or terrorise their neighbours.

It would also mean a trip to court, where the Order would be imposed by a judge.

Tower Hamlets Council has since said it does NOT plan to impose an ASBO on Joseph.

But his mum claims the Council is backtracking.

"It really gutted me when the officer said she'd come to give Joe an ASBO," Francis, 29, told the Advertiser from her home on a travellers' site in Eleanor Street.

"It meant he would have no future at all. Joe's doing really well at school right now, he had an excellent report this year, but how would his teachers have reacted? This sort of thing stays on your record, how would he explain it in a job interview when he's older?

"I can't believe there's been all this fuss over a football - it didn't even damage her car as it was deflated!"

A statement from Tower Hamlets said the council worker in question, travellers' officer Lorraine Woods, was visiting Eleanor Street on a Saturday night, off-duty, when a child known to her "threw an object at her car".

She told the child's mother what had happened and left.

Ms Woods then returned to the site two days later, this time on an official visit to accompany an animal warden.

But both council workers were subjected to "a tirade of vile offensive language and threats of violence from Francis Jones and her partner", the statement said.

The statement added: "The officers did explain to the two individuals that there were a number of issues which they considered to be anti-social behaviour and that they would be setting these matters out in a report for consideration by the council." These included another incident related to damage to Lorraine Woods' car.

But Francis' mum dismissed this.

"This 'incident' happened two years ago when Joe was two years old - practically still a baby!" said Francis.

"The damage they say was caused was some scratching to her car."

So far the youngest child in Britain to be given an ASBO was 10 years old.