By Dave Gudgeon

Last updated 10:04, Sunday, 10 August 2008

A teenage troublemaker lashed out at a younger boy who had been annoying him during a drinking session.

Thomas Hodgson’s victim, who is 16, fell down steps near a Penrith leisure centre and suffered a broken arm.

But the 19-year-old, who was the subject of an anti-social behaviour order at the time, escaped a jail term yesterday after his mother turned up at court to support him. She told a judge that she had moved away from Penrith to keep her son out of trouble there.

He was now going to be living with her in Carlisle.

Hodgson, who admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm, must now carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, stay indoors at nights for the next four months and attend a think-first programme while being supervised by the probation service for the next year.

Judge Paul Batty, QC, sitting at Carlisle Crown Court, told Hodgson that he was able to avoid sending him to prison because he had already served the equivalent of a four-month sentence while on remand.

But he warned him that if he breached any of the community order, he would lock him up. The judge also told Hodgson, who had previous convictions for violence, that he owed a great debt of gratitude to his mother for speaking in his behalf.

Prosecutor Ken Hay said the attack happened on June 10 while Hodgson, his victim and others were drinking vodka.

The 16-year-old was annoying Hodgson by behaving in a silly manner.

Hodgson said: “I bet I could drop him for a quid,” and then punched him.

Alison Whalley, defending, said Hodgson had been improving while on remand.