UK teenager challenges Blair's 'anti-yob' curfew

LONDON - A "model" teenager launched a High Court challenge on Thursday against a town centre curfew on under-16s, one of the cornerstones of Prime Minister Tony Blair's crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

The 15-year-old boy brought the case against London's Metropolitan Police and his local council in Richmond, west London, where three temporary curfews were introduced last year.

He claims the orders infringe his right to liberty under the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as discriminating against him because he is a child.

"My client is a model student who has never been in trouble with the police," said Alex Gask, legal officer for human rights watchdog Liberty which is supporting the case.

"There is a real danger of sweeping so-called 'anti-yob powers' demonising an entire generation of mostly decent kids," he added.

The boy, only identified as "W" for legal reasons, said he had no problem with being stopped by police if he did something wrong.

"But they shouldn't be allowed to treat me like a criminal just because I'm under sixteen," he said.

Under the 2003 Anti-Social Behaviour Act, police can designate an area as a "dispersal zone" with the approval of the local authority.

Once the order is in place, police have the power to remove any under-16-year-old unaccompanied by an adult from the area after 9 p.m., whether or not they are suspected of bad behaviour.

The case could affect the operation of hundreds of such curfews in towns and cities across Britain.

"This is a very important test case which is going to have nationwide repercussions," said a spokesman for Richmond Council, which plans to deploy further curfews this summer.

"We believe Liberty have got it wrong in this case. We believe dispersal areas are a very useful tool in the fight against anti-social behaviour. We do not believe they infringe anybody's human rights," he said.

Concern over disruptive behaviour by gangs of teenagers, particularly in town centres and shopping centres, was a key issue in this month's election.

Earlier this month, Blair endorsed a decision by Britain's largest shopping centre to ban groups of youths wearing the "urban crime" uniform of baseball caps and hooded tops over their heads.

- REUTERS