A TEENAGER labelled the “Pied Piper” of a gang of young “feral” thieves has been warned he faces prison unless he ends his spree of anti-social behaviour.

Jamie Cowens, 18, has been served with a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) after persistently flouting banning and dispersal orders to offend in various areas across Bradford.

He was described by police as one of the ringleaders of a “flash mob” which is terrorising retailers with regular incidents of theft and intimidation.

Cowens, of St Abbs Avenue, Odsal, Bradford, was given a three-year CBO in his absence by magistrates after failing to turn up for the hearing at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court.

He had received a 12-month community order with 60 hours unpaid work for two shop thefts at the same court on May 23, and as a result of the conviction, police said they wanted to apply for the CBO in a bid to kerb Cowens’ behaviour.

A CBO can only be applied for if the prosecution can prove, beyond reasonable doubt, that the offender has engaged in behaviour causing harassment, alarm, or distress to others, and that the order would help from stopping the defendant engaging in such behaviour in the future.

Helen Smith, an anti-social behaviour officer working within Bradford police, told magistrates that since the evidence for the CBO had been prepared, up to May 29, Cowens was being investigated for a further 15 offences, including 13 alleged shop thefts.

She said the group Cowens was involved in consisted of ten to 15 youths, aged from 14 upwards, which was getting bigger and whose behaviour was “deteriorating quickly.”

She told the court they were now stealing high-end alcohol on a daily basis, and had got a process of going from shop to shop “down to a fine art.”

She said: “Mr Cowens is one of the ringleaders of a group of feral youths who are acting as a flash mob. He is a bit like the Pied Piper.”

A report outlining Cowens’ behaviour was given to magistrates as evidence to justify the CBO, including seven incidents between March and May at Morrisons stores which the defendant was already banned from.

Many of the altercations involved a group including Cowens attempting to steal alcohol, with on one occasion, the group stating they were “going to smash the face in” of staff who tried to get them to leave.

The other premises involved included various Sainsburys stores and shops in The Broadway centre.

The document also stated that in July last year, Cowens broke his right leg and left shoulder after being hit while playing ‘chicken’ with cars in Godwin Street.

He is said to have run into the road and collided with the door of a car, smashing its windows and wing mirror.

Rehabilitation from his injuries left him using crutches, which according to police records, he subsequently used as a weapon in other instances of anti-social behaviour.

In November, Cowens was seen hitting a victim with his crutch during a fight on Hustlergate, and in March, he used a crutch to hit a security officer in Sainsburys on Harrogate Road after he was confronted for trying to steal a bottle of champagne.

Last October, Cowens was also reported as being involved in a fight outside the Bradford Hotel on Hall Ings in which his crutch was used to smash a CCTV camera valued at £4,000.

The report stated that Cowens had previously been served with an Acceptable Behaviour Contract, which he voluntarily signed, and referred to the Youth Offending Team (YOT) in a bid to address his behaviour, but it continued to deteriorate.

On Cowens, Mrs Smith told the court: “It has got to saturation point with him. We have tried everything and nothing has worked. We need something imposed on him to try and moderate his behaviour.

“He is not the only one, there will be others. Our aim is to cut the group down so they are not together. The important thing is to split them up and try to address their behaviour on an individual basis.”

Agreeing to impose the CBO, chairman of the bench, Andrew Rogerson, said: “I am a great believer in out of court disposals, but this is coming to the point where members of the public are in fear. This man needs stopping.”

The terms of the order dictate that Cowens must not enter Bradford city centre, save for pre-arranged appointments with police or court appearances.

He is also banned from entering a number of premises and venues - including Sainsburys, Tesco, and Bradford Interchange - and must not “congregate in a group of two or more in a public place in a manner which causes or is likely to cause any person to fear for their safety.”

The order was served to Cowens after his non-appearance in court when officers caught him outside a Poundland store in Bradford with two bottles of vodka stashed down his trousers.

Sergeant Noel Whittaker, of the Bradford City Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Criminal Behaviour Orders are an important tool in reducing anti-social behaviour across Bradford.

“Jamie Cowens has been involved in persistent anti-social behaviour and offending in Bradford city centre and other parts of the city for some time now, affecting members of the public and retailers.

“If he breaches the terms of this order he will have committed a crime and could find himself facing a prison sentence.”