News

A 16-year-old boy has become the first teenager in Britain to be placed under a computer-imposed curfew to stop him from re-offending.

The device, which works through voice-recognition, will mean the boy is under 24-hour surveillance.

Each morning he will be woken by a computer-generated telephone call and asked to repeat a series of random numbers. His voice will be analysed to confirm his identity.

The boy agreed to be monitored when he appeared before Nottingham youth court for burglary, assault, handling of stolen goods and possessing an offensive weapon.

A series of voice-verifier calls will be made to his home to ensure he is complying with the curfew. He has also been ordered to attend a training centre where he will be called during the day.

Failure to answer the calls will mean he is arrested and brought before the courts.

Nottingham is one of 15 UK cities taking part in the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme.

A spokesman for the Youth Offending Team in Nottingham said: "We are taking away some of the civil liberties of these young offenders, but we have to balance that with the civil liberties of the communities that these youngsters terrorise."

He added that the scheme was "the last-chance saloon", and will be used for "revolving door offenders".