Ref. 30962-22TWO former students of Kingsdown School have been told to keep out of its grounds and area after terrorising teachers and pupils for a year and a half.

Daniel Archard, 17, of Pinnocks Place, Upper Stratton, and Robert Peapell, 17, of Beechcroft Road, Upper Stratton, were both issued with anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) this week, which ban them from the vicinity of the school.

They face being locked up if they breach the injunctions by going near the Upper Stratton school, between 8am and 6pm during term time.

Steve Lowe, deputy head teacher of Kingsdown School, welcomed the injunctions, saying the teenagers were part of a gang who had made life hell for pupils and staff alike.

He said: "The group has congregated outside the school entrance, sometimes come onto the school grounds, and occasionally entered the school itself.

"The atmosphere is intimidating when you have groups of people outside the school and pupils, some of whom are 11 or 12 years old, are uncomfortable walking by them.

"They have been verbally abusive to staff and students and challenging in their manner. We have seen evidence of smoking and drinking outside the school.

"The youths range between 16 and 18 years of age."

Mr Lowe added that he believed the gang came to see friends who were pupils at the school.

They then became abusive when asked to move on.

Mr Lowe said teachers in charge of seeing pupils out of school at the end of the day and putting them onto buses bore the brunt of the abuse.

Magistrates sitting at Swindon Youth Court granted the ASBOs after convicting the teenagers of offences at Kings-down School.

The orders, which last for two years, also state they should not assault, threaten or intimidate anyone in the Swindon area or incite others to behave in an anti-social manner.

It would not be a breach of the order for the youths to pass along Ermin Street in non-school public transport or a private car.

Mr Lowe said: "Over the course of the last 12 months, we have been working with the authorities, and have been logging incidents and reporting them to the police.

"These two are among as many as a dozen youths who have been causing us some problems over about the last 18 months."

Barrie Hudson

Bhavani Vadde