A YORK teenager who was arrested by one of North Yorkshire most senior police officers for breaking an antisocial behaviour order has been given further punishment.

Assistant Chief Constable Peter Bagshaw was walking past York Magistrates Court on Tuesday when he spotted 19-year-old Michael Kitching swearing at court officials.

Mr Bagshaw promptly arrested Kitching, who admitted breaching the order and appeared before magistrates yesterday.

The arrest happened as senior officers of North Yorkshire Police had a day of back-to-the-beat training and joined other officers in carrying out everyday policing.

Emma Pearce, prosecuting, said Kitching, of Bishopthorpe Road, York, had been asked to leave the court by two members of staff and he had been verbally abusive to them, which was in breach of his three-year antisocial behaviour order, which was the 13th to be imposed in the city.

The order, imposed for various public order offences, means Kitching's behaviour is monitored by Safer York Partnership and City of York Council.

She said he had continued swearing at staff once he was outside the court and had come to the attention of Mr Bagshaw.

Kevin Blount, mitigating, said Kitching had been going through a stressful time as he was living away from home for the first time and his mother had just been diagnosed with breast cancer.

"She is due to start a process of chemotherapy and radiotherapy," he said.

He said Kitching was subject to a Community Punishment Order and still had 127 hours of service to complete, but the order had been suspended for a month to enable him to support his mother through her illness.

An extra 40 hours was added to the Community Punishment Order for the offence.

Updated: 10:47 Saturday, November 22, 2003