'Woman lost baby after being shoved' But counsel for Asbo youth reject claim.

Byline: By JOANNE DOUGLAS News Reporter

A PREGNANT woman allegedly miscarried after being pushed around by a teenager, Huddersfield magistrates were told.

The woman was pushed in her garden by a 14-year-old boy who also allegedly threatened to burgle her house.

Prosecution in the Asbo application say the woman believes her distress at the boy's anti-social behaviour towards her caused her to miscarry her baby.

On day three of the hearing at Huddersfield Magistrates' Court, counsel summed up the case.

In his closing statement, Steve Higgins, for Boy B, said: "It is nonsense to suggest that everybody in Lowerhouses knew that the lady was pregnant - she hadn't got a bump and it may not have been obvious.

"The fact that she was pregnant is thrown in as an aggravating feature."

He added that the case against Boy B, relied upon hearsay and that the "inherent problem of hearsay was that it could be inaccurate".

"There is a huge mish mash of information ... but a lack of clear, hard evidence," Mr Higgins said.

"It's a mud slinging exercise by the local authority who have not been careful at all about allegations they've put."

Boy B is alleged to have carried out 15 acts of anti-social behaviour from April, 2008, until July, 2008.

A second defendant, Boy A, has five incidents against him on May 9, 10, 11, June 16 and July 14, 2008.

Ian Whiteley, for Boy A, said: "In my submission the case against Boy A is weak.

"They the applicant are trying to say he's in a gang at Lowerhouses.

"Just because a young person is in a gang of lads doesn't mean they are engaged in antisocial behaviour - the lad was just playing football."

Boy A has a previous reprimand dating back to 2006 for theft but he has never appeared before a court.

Magistrates earlier heard from the final witness in the case, Paula McTegart, who told police in a statement that she saw three boys including Boy A take it in turns to use bolt cutters to damage a fence.

But giving evidence in court, Miss McTegart said she later found out that Boy A was not taking part.

She said attempts to contact police to change her statement went unanswered.

Under cross-examination, Miss McTegart was asked why her statement was so inaccurate.

Miss McTegart said that she was dyslexic and could not read the statement, but did not tell the officers when asked to read the statement and sign it as accurate and true.

The hearing was adjourned until Monday, February 9, for magistrates to consider the Asbo application.