WORCESTER MP Mike Foster has defended the Lord Chancellor's views on a court's decision not to name a teenage menace who breached his anti-social behaviour order 13 times.

Last month the Worcester News revealed that Mr Foster had written to Lord Falconer asking his views about the magistrates' decision to protect the identity of a 14-year-old. The boy shot 13-year-old papergirl April Dennis in the face and back 15 times with a ball-bearing gun and abused his neighbour to such an extent she became a prisoner in her own home.

Mr Foster spoke out after the city magistrates refused to lift reporting restrictions, arguing it was essential for the public to know the identity of offenders.

He said Lord Falconer responded by saying he could not comment on individual cases and it was important to balance the interests of the child and the community on a case by case basis. However, Mr Foster said he was not disappointed with the response.

"That's the nature of the independence of the judiciary and you give them that independence and trust them to exercise it properly," he said.

"What's disappointing to me is that the interests of the wider community were perhaps not viewed as important as the interests of the individual child.

"But it's a case by case judgement and that's what we trust and empower judges to do. You can disagree with them but you can't, as politicians, influence them or lobby them, because of the independence of the judicial system." Mr Foster still maintains the youth should have been named.

"The problem with anonymous punishments is the local community doesn't know who has been punished and for what and that can lead to dissatisfaction," he said.