TWO teenage boys have been sentenced over an assault which involved the use of an ‘improvised flamethrower’.

The pair, both aged 14 and of Warrington, cannot be named for legal reasons due to their age.

They faced a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, to which they entered guilty pleas before Warrington Magistrates’ Court, with the case proceeding to sentence.

The assault occurred earlier this year in Warrington, the court heard from Michael O'Kane, prosecuting.

One of the defendants sprayed a deodorant can towards the victim’s head and sparked a lighter, causing a flame.

As a result of this, the victim suffered ‘singed’ hair.

The victim was then further assaulted by the second youth, who hit him with a metal bed pole and a belt on both of his legs and back, causing further injuries.

The first defendant accepted that he used an aerosol and lighter to inflict harm on the complainant.

The second meanwhile accepted hitting the complainant with a belt, and although he disputed the number of occasions or that a pole was used, magistrates deemed that this would not impact the sentence imposed.

Given the fact that both defendants had no previous convictions, magistrates concluded that a referral order was the appropriate way of sentencing them.

Both were handed a 12-month youth referral order – a community sentence most often used by the courts when dealing with juvenile offenders, involving rehabilitative and restorative elements.

In addition, their parents or guardians were ordered to pay court costs of £85, a surcharge of £26 and compensation to the victim of £75.

A restraining order was issued prohibiting contact with the victim or the entering of a named Warrington street for the next 12 months, with magistrates deeming this ‘necessary and proportionate’.