A MAN has been sent to youth custody after he admitted that he had not obeyed a court order because he stopped in bed until 3pm every day.

Craig Hilton smirked as a judge gave him nine months in a Young Offenders' Institution for deliberately flouting a court order.

Hilton had originally been sentenced to carry out 180 hours for a Community Punishment Order for a violent attack on a 15-year-old boy.

But the court heard that Hilton had witnessed the death of a close friend and had suffered from depression ever since. As a result he had not got out of bed until the middle of the afternoon each day.

At Bolton Crown Court Recorder Michael Davies told Hilton: "You haven't completed a single hour of the order and you flouted that order and had no intention of complying with it.

"Because of that I revoke the original CPO and re-sentence you for a serious and nasty attack on a 15-year-old boy."

Hilton, aged 19, of Monks Lane, Top o'th' Brow, Breightmet, Bolton, appeared at Bolton Crown Court for sentence. He admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Jonathan Dickinson, prosecuting, said that the original offence had been committed on July 21, 2001.

The court heard that Hilton had witnessed a close friend die and since then had been off work with depression.

He had been suffering from depression since his friend's death and had admitted to the probation officer that he could not get out of bed before 3pm every day.

He had been prescribed medication but had stopped taking it because of the side effects but had been self-medicating himself with alcohol and illegal drugs.