Asbo yob who terrorised estate gets free acupuncture

Sonny Grainger, 14, is already known to the authorities for smashing windows, attacking pedestrians with sticks, stones and bottles. He was just 12 when he was given an Asbo.

He was also expelled from three schools - and now the Hull Youth Justice Service have agreed to pay for a 45-minute acupuncture session costing £40 to calm him down.

His mum Nadine West, 40, says the holistic approach is showing signs of working but admits he remains a menace to neighbours and passers-by - and has urged police to be tougher on her son.

She said: “Sonny loves the acupuncture. He is definitely a lot calmer when he walks out after the sessions.

“But he is still a menace. His school agreed to only have him for three days a week but that was not good enough for Sonny.

“He only needs to attend school on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. They have been absolutely fantastic. But he won’t go to school now. He has not been since February.

“He spends his days hanging out with his friends or playing his computer. I am really worried I will end up getting prosecuted, but he just won’t go to school. What more can I do?”

Last November, Sonny breached his Asbo when he was caught with cannabis on the school premises and assaulted another pupil.

His mum believes her family is not being given adequate help and accuses the authorities of biding their time before they throw her son in jail.

She said: “Giving him another Asbo when this runs out is not the answer. I honestly believe now it is only a matter of time before he is locked up and they will just throw away the key. Sonny has to learn to meet people halfway, but he is just not interested.

“I would love it if the police could make him attend some kind of boot camp. He might stand a chance.”

Nadine previously claimed Sonny’s misbehaviour was down to him suffering from a Oppositional Defiant Disorder meaning he does the opposite of what he is told.

He has visited a child psychologist and took tablets in a bid to sedate him in the evenings with little success.

His shocking crime sheet includes stealing cars and motorbikes, starting fires on his estate and even smashing the windows in his own home when his mum tried to tell him off.

After he was handed the Asbo in July 2009, PC Trevor Needham, the neighbourhood beat officer, said: “Sonny Grainger has caused untold misery for the people of the estate. He has been a tyrant to people here.

“On a daily basis we received complaints about his behaviour, it is actually unbelievable just how bad this lad was.

“He has been a one-boy wave of terror and the way he was going about driving cars and setting fires, I honestly believed it was only a matter of time before he would have killed someone.

“The boy does know the difference between right and wrong and this Asbo is a last ditch attempt to change his behaviour.”