 A man who admits to being "a blight" on a Teesside estate has been put behind bars for 50 weeks for breaching an ASBO. On four occasions, Craig Conway, 20, of Bruntons Manor Court, Middlesbrough, was seen on a particular street, talking to a particular person or being in a group of three or more people. Conway is subject to a five- year Anti-social Behaviour Order prohibiting such behaviour. Yesterday, Teesside magistrates sent him to a young offenders' institution for six weeks for each of the four breaches, which took place between August 20 and October 6. To make matters worse for Conway - who was given the ASBO on September 16, 2003, when still a teenager - he was on licence from a young offenders' institution after committing a string of other offences. He had been released early from a 29-month sentence for offences including assaulting two police officers, common assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and handling stolen goods. After his release, he had to make sure he did not break the law - or he would serve the remainder of that sentence. In court yesterday, Paul Dixon, defending, described anti-social behaviour as "a hot topic" and said to the magistrates: "The court must make up its own mind and should not be guided by the media or things that are published. "Craig Conway will be the first to admit he has been a blight on the local community. He was simply talking to youths he has known all his life and was simply passing the time of day." Mr Dixon said that had Conway not been the subject of an ASBO, which runs until September 2008, his acts would not have constituted criminal offences. The court heard that Conway admitted the four breaches and had not attended all of his probation service appointments. Chairman of the bench David Moreton said he regarded the offences as having "substantial" seriousness. "An anti-social behaviour order is very serious," he said. "A custodial sentence is the only sentence appropriate." | 
