THE teenage ringleader of a gang of youths who plagued Little Lever with violence and drunken behaviour has been locked up for 18 months after a court heard of his "catalogue of horrifying offences".

Stephen Wilson, aged 17, of Marsh Road, Little Lever, pleaded guilty to assaulting an off-duty police officer, five separate charges of assault - including one which was racially aggravated -and two charges of affray.

In one horrific attack Wilson, a trained boxer, hit a man with a barrage of punches at Fratelli's Takeaway in Market Street. One of the blows forced his victim's teeth into his gums.

In another assault he and his 60-strong gang attacked and racially abused an Asian man. They also attacked two middle aged men, who attempted to help their victim.

One of the men could not continue his job as a lorry driver because he suffered a double fracture to his right eye socket.

A two-year Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) was placed on the teenager by magistrates at Bolton Youth Court yesterday to protect the community of Little Lever when Wilson is released from detention.

It will restrict Wilson's movement and stop him from acting in an anti-social way. If he breeches the conditions of the order he could be jailed for up to five years.

The Bolton Evening News successfully applied to magistrates to lift the automatic reporting restrictions which bans the identification of youth offenders.

Wilsons life of violence was brought to an end after Little Lever police officers worked with Bolton's community safety agencies to gather evidence of the gangs activity.

The findings were so serious that officers decided to pursue criminal charges involving several offences.

Gayle OBrien, prosecuting at Bolton Youth Court on Wednesday, said that last year an off-duty police officer was walking along Victory Road at around 11.30pm when he saw Wilson and others revving the engine of a fork lift truck in a field.

He identified himself as a police officer and told them to get off the land. The gang surrounded him and four of them, including Wilson, started to kick and punch him.

He fell to the floor and the youths continued their attack, hitting him repeatedly around the head, before running away when other officers arrived.

The victim was left with a broken nose, a fractured cheekbone and bruising to the body.

Between December last year and March this year police in Little Lever received 220 calls about anti social behaviour and 91 reports of criminal damage.

Miss OBrien said that an interim ASBO was placed on Wilson and another member of the gang earlier this month and as a result there had been an 85 per cent drop in complaints from residents.

The court watched CCTV footage, gathered by the councils surveillance team, of Wilson and his gang involved in a number of anti-social incidents.

Joanna Clark, defending, said that alcohol was a contributing factor to his behaviour and that he was "totally ashamed" of what he had done. She also said that since January he had changed his behaviour and was holding down the job of a carpet-fitter.

But Janet Taylor, chairman of the bench, said that the offences were bound to result in a custodial sentence and imposed the maximum sentence of an 18-month Detention and training Order.

Following the trial Police Superintendent Martin Greenalgh said: "With today's sentencing the community of Little Lever has taken a major step towards improving the quality of life in the town.

"This youth was at the forefront of a large group, who were responsible for serious incidents of anti-social behaviour. As the undercover footage from our partners shows, he is an aggressive individual, who has had proper boxing training and is not afraid to use it to inflict pain and fear on others."

He added: "Hopefully yesterdays sentence will reinforce the message to those who have taken part in the anti-social behaviour, that it will not be tolerated."

Cllr Mary Woodward, who represents Little Lever, said she was delighted at the results achieved about youths causing a nuisance.

She said: "I think this will teach others that we are not going to take their behaviour any longer. The police are taking a hard stand against it and I think that is needed."