A FORMER trainee priest and a police worker arrested after they fought back against yobs have walked free from court.
Peter Foster, 38, and Andrew Barbour, 40, armed themselves with "Ninja sticks" and confronted teenagers they blamed for terrorising a neighbourhood at Radcliffe, near Bury.
They were arrested when a 15-year-old boy complained to police that he had been assaulted with the martial arts weapon.
A judge told the two men they could not take the law into their own hands. But he released them with conditional discharges after telling them: "I understand your position very well indeed. You were probably at the end of your tether."
Manchester Crown Court heard yesterday that the pair encountered a series of problems with a group of youths who gathered around shops in the centre of Radcliffe.
Foster, a bespectacled bus driver who once trained as a Jesuit priest, and his friend Barbour, who works as a police custody clerk, had reported the youths to police on "numerous occasions".
Graffiti
Because of his determination to tackle the yobs, Barbour had obscene graffiti daubed on his front door. The court was told Foster and Barbour decided to arm themselves with the Ninja sticks when they went to a local pub in April last year in case they came across the teenagers.
A confrontation did break out and Foster removed his glasses before asking one youth: "Do you want to fight me like a man?" He then hit the youth with the sticks.
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, went to the police the following day and made a complaint. He was found to have injury marks to his knee and thigh.
Foster admitted assaulting the 15-year-old youth, while Barbour pleaded guilty to possessing the Ninja sticks. Judge Anthony Hammond allowed them both to walk free from court, sentencing them to 12-month conditional discharges.
'Nuisance'
He said: "People have been made subject to behaviour orders and people have been drifting into this area of Radcliffe from other areas and making nuisances of themselves. It has escalated into criminal damage, graffiti, assaults and other incidents.
"Their behaviour tends to be alarming, tends to be frightening and at times goes out of control. But there is only one course which can be followed and that is to obtain evidence and get behaviour orders against named individuals.
"You can't take the law into your own hands. I understand your position very well indeed. You were probably at the end of your tether."
Prosecutor Wendy Neilson said Foster and Barbour, both from Radcliffe, were on their way to a pub when there was a confrontation with two youths standing outside a chip shop with friends. "The boys had been involved in trouble with the defendants before," she said.
When police arrested the defendants, Barbour handed over the Ninja sticks, and said he and Foster used them for martial arts training. Chudi Grant, for Barbour, said the defendants knew two of the youths involved in the incident. "Obscene graffiti had been daubed on the defendant's door and one of them was cautioned as a result," he said.
"On numerous occasions he has phoned the authorities but the response from the police has not been as prompt as it might have been."
'Public-spirited'
Mr Grant said Barbour was "an industrious and public-spirited individual", concerned about anti-social behaviour in the area round his home. Because of his attempts to deal with the problem, he had become a target.
Against that background, Barbour went out with the Ninja sticks. He now faces disciplinary proceedings from GMP, where he works as a civilian custody clerk.
Michael Blakey, for Foster, said it was clear from police reports there had been problems with youths who congregated in Radcliffe.
Outside court Peter Foster told the M.E.N. he had suffered six months of hell at the hands of a gang which gathered on Turks Road. He said that police failed to tackle the youths, despite vandalism, threats and drunken behaviour. "We were the victims here, not them," he said.
Recalling the incident, he said: "We decided we weren't going to be held to ransom by feral youths basically. Because of the number of kids that were there, about 15 or 20 of them, we foolishly decided to take the sticks with us when we went to go to the pub.
""We went on a circuitous route to try and avoid confrontation with these kids." He said of the confrontation with the 15-year-old: "I thought he had a knife in his hand and he made a motion like he was going to stab me in the neck and that's when I blocked his thrust towards me and got the stick out of my sleeve.
"I hit him across one of his legs and then I hit him across the other leg and that stopped him in his tracks. Then all the other kids came running forward and I was in fear of my life."
Comments
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They shouldn't have taken the law into their own hands but it should be the parents of these boys hitting some sense into them, it shouldn't have to come to this.
If the little wimp hadn't have terrorised these two men, he wouldn't have had to complain to the police when he got a crack. Good - congratulations to these two. No doubt, there will be outraged replies on here that the poor 15 year old was still a child but if more people tacked these yobs, they wouldn't own the streets like they do.
I feel dead sorry for these two blokes, these kids make your life a misery and then when you lose your temper they go running to the police, and the police take their side all the time. Bring back the stocks and I will throw the first rotten tomato.
I understand the way the MEN tries to be impartial but your coverage of news is so hard to follow. Yesterday you quite correctly wrote a story about a family in Winton with a drink problem but today do a piece where drink is a factor but you chose to pretend its not. Why?
A question for H of manchester.
When should a person take the law into his or her own hands?
When he or she have been terrorised to the point of isanity without the police lifting a finger to help? Or maybe when near to death would you say? Join the real world H & realize that the police will not act unless it is in their interest to do so & not necessarily in the interest of the complainent.
Foster & barbour were easy meat for the police. You see they were law abiding citizens & unlikely to give any trouble.
A large proportion of the polce force police go for the easy 'mark' It makes their lives much easier.
Seeing as how the government and the law appear to be on the side of criminals with the new "caution" regulations I see no alternative but for ordinary citizens to have to take the "law" into their own hands. Doesn't appear the police are going to do anything. Surprising thought we get into serious trouble for looking after ourselves!!
Hats off to these two fine upstanding citizens - if more people took up arms against the yobs then it would be the yobs running scared, not the law-abiding public.
I am sick & tired of louts hiding behind the law, if anarchy prevailed do you really think these yobs would survive against the fury of the people for very long? Not likely!
Bring back national service & pack the yobs off to Iraq - wouldn't be so hard then would they?
A pity they still got a 12-month conditional discharge. They should have been awarded a medal. Congrats to Barbour and Foster.
Congratulations to both men - these youngsters are making life in Radcliffe intolerable.
Another case of great policing by the gmp,i bet they responded fast enough when it was the 15yr old lad complaining!
It would be a different Story if THese two men would have been attacked off the youngster. I can guarantee they would'nt have walked away from court without at least community service!!
I had a 14 year old pull a knife on me and chase me with 6 of his friends I was on bail at the time for fighting to which I was found not gulity but still taken to court!!!!! When I reported this to the police it took 4 days for them to take a discription of the lad and when they did turn up it was at 11:45 pm when I had to be up the next morning for work. The copper told me I should have hit him but what would have happened to me??? I know what because he is 14 and me at the time 19 and on bail I would have spent a in the cells and been infrom on the mags the next morning and most prob lose my job!!! There is no justice this lad will just grow up to be scum casue his family cannot not control him the more kickings he gets the b etter it might just kick it out of him!!!!
Well done to these two fellas!! I agree with most of the comments on here, different story had these two blokes been attacked by this youths and his sum m8s, so the youth gets a kicking I bet these two blokes had to restrain themselves from laying into him!, what makes me laugh is I bet this youth is a trouble causer known to the police gives the police grief yet goes running off crying to them when hes hit!........I think we should take the law into our own hands if its called for.......hope these two gents use the met often be reassuring to these two chaps riding on the met when all the scum are out. In fact instead of making these blokes look the bad guys why not give them a job tackling anti social scum!. THe law is an ass and they know it!.
I CANT BELEIVE THIS. THEY WANTED TO PUT PETER AND ANDREW IN PRISON? WHAT IS THIS COUNTRY COMING TOO? COME ON BLAIR SORT IT OUT! THESE STUPID YOBS WILL GET OFF WITH EVERYTHING THEY DO AND INNOCENT PEOPLE WHO WANT TO PROTECT THEIR PROPERTY WILL GO TO PRISON! WHAT A JOKE.
Theres a pint or two waiting from me if either of these guys ever come to Sale. Well done guys!
A similar thing happened to me last year in Timperley. Two hoodies, late at night threatending me for no other reason that I was walking home past them at the time. Their big mistake, it was dark and there were no witnesses - well one guy but he offered his congratulations. The result two yobs got the kicking they deserved! Well done to these two blokes who have shown what needs to be done to save this country!
""and the police take their side all the time""
We don't take their side - we know these youths are horrible little gits that deserve a slap..unfortunately under the "NCRS" - National crime recording standard - we are obliged to record and fully investigate every complaint- no matter how pointless, trivial, vexacious or ludicrous. The days of telling people they deserved a slap, or that we won't investigate a burglars complaint of theft because they are the biggest thief around are gone.
There are armys of desk bound staff to check the computer and ensure that everything is done in "accordance with policy and procedure" - and woebetied any officer who fails to do this.
The old days of your "neighbourhood bobby" being empowered to use his/her initiative are well and truely gone. Had the cops not crimed the lads complaint - they could have been subject to disciplinary action and possibly suspended.
Besides which the politicans want all these statistics and court cases so they can claim they are tough on crime (whilst sneaking out lower sentences and failing to jail the real villains).
As to the person waiting days to see the Police - there are plenty of people waiting weeks .... there are thousands of "outstanding jobs" waiting to be dealt with in the Manchester Police area....the front line staff have been "realigned" in accordance with the latest government "good ideas club" of how the front line service should be restructure. The net result is a botch up...the government should learn to govern and not interfere in the delivery of "healthcare" "teaching" and "policing". They have gone from gpverning to micro-managing - with the associated bureaucracy and paperwork this causes.
well done lads. although i fear a bitter sweet victory for Mr Barbour who will almost certainly lose his job with greater Manchester Police now. GMP need to stop worrying about figures and worry about serving the citizens. this should never have got this far and these two blokes are brave for standing up for their rights to live a peacful life.
What amazes me is that these two men, clearly standing up for themselves, have their names and faces splashed about like criminals, yet the real offenders have their identity kept secret. It's about time offenders of all ages were names so the public know who they are. These two guys are heros.
It is the job of the police to stop youths inflicting criminal damage and vandalism. The first couple of times you ring the police, but they take so long to respond that the perpetrators are long gone and all that is left is the damage. Your options then are to turn a blind eye or confront them? Anyone fancy trying to perform a citizens arrest on a gang of youths? Not unless you've got something with you to protect yourself.
Fact is, it is the job of the police and the only reason why these cases come to court is because they cannot be bothered to do their job!
Police? Police? Ah let me see. Yes I remember them. They disappeared off the streets around the same time as Shergar and Lord Lucan.
Sorry Pete of Adelaide. I obviously didn't make myself clear. I obviously sympathise with these men however they shouldn't have to had to take the law into their own hands. As I understand it, they confronted these youths, what if the outcome had been serious? They were not being threatened at the time so they could not have pleaded self defence. Also, I really don't think there's a need for us all to get as aggressive and defensive as Pete, just on a message board!
Im not surprised that these men acted the way they did. I made a complaint about youths in my area over a month ago to the police. All i have had from them is a crime reference number. No one has visited or even phoned me about this since. I have also wanted to confront these youths, but when they are minors you dont realy have a leg to stand on. They can make your life hell but if you so much as raise a hand to them you know that the Police wont be knocking on their door, I'll be the one in trouble. The local council say that all incidents are logged through the crime reference number and if they have enough complaints in the same area then they will get involved by issuing ASBOS and Dispersal orders.
Its like a game of bingo, Full House? You've won a visit from a copper!
What annoys me is that people, especially more vulnerable residents like the elderley dont want a reference number when they phone the police they want to see that action is being taken. If they dont, then the next time they wont see any point in phoning the Police because as far as they are concerned they will be given another refernce number and ignored.
These guys did what we'd all like to do. Come to Ramsbottom on any given evening and there are kids roaming the streets and intimidating any passer by. Something needs to be done or we all be taking the law into our own hands. With good reason.
Yes they were right to do this AND walk free from court for doing so;parents don't control their kids so they think they can do whatever they like and get away with it, I wouldn't have locked them up either WELL DONE TO BOTH OF YOU!!!