IT is a new twist on a very old form of justice. Stine Wilson has been run out of town.

But it is not the sheriff and his posse who expelled him across the city line, but York magistrates.

Their devastating deployment of an anti-social behaviour order will prevent Wilson returning to his home city until November 2005. The sentence is sure to wipe the smirk off the face of every yob in York.

For so long these foul-mouthed bullies have swaggered about certain York streets, confident that they were above the law. Stine Wilson now knows different, and his banishment sends out a clear message to others like him: behave, or you are out.

Every law-abiding resident should delight in this victory for decency. It is a particularly sweet result for Wilson's long-suffering neighbours.

No one deserves to celebrate more than the Tang Hall residents who refused to be intimidated by this unpleasant young man, and kept reporting him to the police. They have proved that a community which stands together can defeat the enemy within.

We must also thank the police, the council and the courts. By assiduously compiling the evidence against Wilson, and by serving upon him a community order which no one could describe as soft, the authorities have shown that there is an answer to the scourge of the day: anti-social behaviour.

Only one question remains. Now Wilson is living in Otley, will the people there suffer like those in York? We hope not. The 18-year-old has been isolated from his mates, and has not offended since moving in with his father. This decision could well mark a turning point in York's battle against the yobs.

Hopefully, it will prove a turning point for Stine Wilson too.

Updated: 11:12 Tuesday, November 25, 2003