A THUG who has committed a shocking catalogue of drink-fuelled crimes has been banned for life from all licensed premises throughout York.

Courts have repeatedly jailed Richard Stewart Hurst, 21, for crimes that included kicking a shop assistant on the head and forcing a driver out of his car and driving it off. Each time on release he went back to drink and back into violence.

Now York's top judge has called time on the alcohol lout and barred him from every source of drink within the outer ring road - including corner shops and off-licences.

National alcohol groups said it was one of the most stringent cases of which they had heard - and maybe the first indefinite ban issued for drink offenders.

"You are assessed as being of high risk of reoffending, with the potential to cause serious harm to members of the public," said the Honorary Recorder of York, Judge Paul Hoffman.

York licensing officer PC David Boag welcomed the ban, saying: "It is nice we are getting support from the courts. It will give the message out to those people who do commit offences under the influence of alcohol the police will take action."

He warned that a bill currently before Parliament will extend the courts' powers to bar violent drinkers from licensed premises.

As well as the alcohol ban under a criminal antisocial behaviour order, the judge also locked Hurst up for four years for breaking into a man's house and beating him up as he lay in bed with his girlfriend.

At the Portman Group, the national organisation which promotes responsible drinking, a spokeswoman said they had not heard of a case like this before.

Hurst, of Ratcliffe Street, Clifton, pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm to Peter Hallett.

"A prison sentence may be the best thing for him, because he can access support programmes and obviously he cannot drink," said Hurst's barrister, Katherine Robinson.

Hurst had apologised to Mr Hallett for his actions on October 30 and the victim had not wanted the case to proceed.

But the prosecution had forced the witnesses to come to court under a witness summons. Simon Kealey, prosecuting at York Crown Court, said that Mr Hallett took exception when a child gave him a volley of abuse during an evening in his girlfriend's garden and wanted to speak with the child's father, Mark Phillips.

In the early hours of October 30, Mr Phillips and Hurst knocked on Mr Hallett's door and got no answer. When Hurst tried the door handle, Mr Phillips left, but Hurst burst in, went upstairs and attacked Mr Hallett, who was in bed with his girlfriend. Mr Hallett suffered bruising and swelling. Miss Robinson said Hurst was ashamed of his actions, which he could not explain. He had been in drink at the time.

As a child he had witnessed heavy drinking and seen and suffered violence at home. At the age 12 he had started drinking.

For a few months leading up to his latest arrest he had been working nights as a cleaner at York Railway Station. That had kept him out of pubs and away from his mates at the times when they were drinking.

At Alcohol Concern, a spokeswoman said: "I have heard of some stringent measures taken that are fairly wide- ranging, but with any ASBO, it is one thing to put in a punitive measure like that, it's another to have the resources in place for people who have a major problem with drink to receive help."

:: The ASBO restrictions

Hurst cannot:

Enter any licensed premises within York outer ring road He can go into supermarkets provided he doesn't go into the aisles

selling alcohol

Display any anti-social behaviour anywhere in England and Wales

Cause alarm, harassment or distress to any member of the public or uniformed services anywhere in England and Wales

Updated: 10:09 Wednesday, August 10, 2005