AN aggressive teenager who has intimidated Swanage residents for years is now on the receiving end of abuse as she starts a custodial sentence for breaching her antisocial behaviour order.
Chantelle Driver, 17, has been at Eastwood Park women's prison waiting to be sentenced after pleading guilty to four Asbo breaches - including two assaults - around a fortnight ago.
The teenager, nicknamed "Vicky Pollard" after a television caricature of a delinquent teenager because of the behaviour which led to her Asbo, has been taunted with the name by other inmates, Poole Magistrates Court heard. Yesterday, she was told she must spend two months in custody, and a further two months on licence, for the breaches.
District Judge Loraine Morgan also ruled Driver, of Holmes Road, should be identified, even though she is not yet 18. "The public of Swanage and the wider public are entitled to know that breaches of any Asbo will be appropriately enforced by the courts," she said.
Driver had initially denied hitting a teenager and his girlfriend, and stealing the boy's hat, outside a Swanage pub on October 16.
Witnesses, including an eight-months-pregnant teenager and another female, who was so frightened of Driver that she wanted to give evidence behind a screen, were at court waiting for the trial to start when Driver changed her plea.
District Judge Morgan said this was an aggravating factor, along with the fact Driver had breached the Asbo a previous five times.
She gave Driver a concurrent four-month detention and training order for each of the four recent Asbo breaches, which also include her playing football on March 27 at Swanage Middle School, from where she was banned under the order.
Harvey Withecombe, defending, said Chantelle has been improving her behaviour since October, has successfully started a college course and has lost her bravado since experiencing prison, where she has been beaten up.
"Every night when she goes to sleep, people in the same unit call out, 'Vicky Pollard, Vicky Pollard,' and that makes it worse," he said.
Driver was given the Asbo in 2003 - extended last year until 2008 - for a catalogue of incidents including swearing, intimidation and harassment, and still owes £222 in compensation to previous victims.
First published: May 27
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