A GIRL heroin dealer aged just 16 was caught red-handed when police overheard a mother accusing her of pushing the drug to her 13-year-old son.

Simon Reevell, prosecuting, told York Crown Court the officers were passing by and heard drugs mentioned during the argument in Burton Stone Lane, Clifton.

They searched the girl and found 16 wraps of heroin.

Now the pregnant girl faces three years behind bars unless she completes a tough new anti-youth crime sentence including a daily curfew and constant surveillance.

The teenager, from York, denies the mother's allegation, but pleaded guilty to possessing heroin with intent to supply it to her friends.

Judge James Spencer, QC, told her he did not doubt that her age was the reason why she and not others was carrying the heroin.

"If you were of imprisonable age you would go to prison and you would not get out for five years."

He decided to give her a combined supervision, surveillance and curfew order after hearing from her barrister, Paul Williams, and reading a report by the York Youth Offending Team.

He ordered her to stay indoors for 11 hours every night for three months, undergo intensive constant surveillance by the police and other criminal justice agencies for three months and supervision, including rehabilitation for two years.

"If you breach the supervision order, you will come back in front of me and I will sentence you to three years detention, whatever your state of pregnancy, however old your child is," said the judge.

For the girl, Paul Williams said she had got the heroin on behalf of a group of friends who chipped together to meet the cost. He put the heroin's value at a maximum of £160.

The girl had had a difficult childhood and did not have a settled address. She was not addicted to heroin.

Updated: 11:47 Friday, September 20, 2002