5:29pm Tuesday 16th March 2010
A 12-year-old criminal has become one of the country's youngest prisoners.
Magistrates in Witham today sentenced the boy, who lives in Braintree district, to ten months in a detention centre.
They heard the youngster, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had committed more than 30 crimes, including convictions for assault and aggravated vehicle taking.
They said he had breached "many" previous court orders and committed "many" offences while on bail.
The boy appeared in court to be sentenced after admitting his latest crimes - assaults on a woman and a man and aggravated vehicle taking.
Magistrates said he would be eligible for release after serving at least five months in a detention centre.
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