A TEEN has avoided jail after racially abusing a man – but was warned he could have been given a worse sentence if he was an adult.

The 16-year-old boy from Leigh, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court he was “embarrassed” to have harassed a man and sworn at officers earlier this year.

He appeared at court where he admitted racially aggravated harassment, threatening behaviour and possession of a knife.

The court heard the boy and a friend blocked the path of their victim in an alleyway in Church Hill, Leigh, on March 16, shouting “he’s the f****** immigrant”.

The victim then attempted to photograph the two boys on his mobile phone before fleeing towards the Broadway and taking shelter in Tesco.

The youths cornered him in the shop saying “who do you think you are taking photos of?”, before the boy’s friend knocked the phone out of the victim’s hand.

Ashley Petchey, prosecuting, said: “He picked his phone up and followed the two along the Broadway and he was on the phone to the police.

“He followed them into the alleyway near Leigh Methodist Church. He took a photo of them and they said ‘take photographs, we’re not doing anything’.

“As he was leaving they ran up behind him and carried on up to him and caused him to believe he was going to be assaulted.”

Mr Petchey said the victim was emotionally affected by the abuse.

Just six weeks later, on May 4, the boy yelled abuse at a police officer who questioned why he and a large group of boys were in Leigh Library Gardens despite lockdown.

When he was arrested, police discovered a knife in his sock.

Mitigating, Shazia Malik said: “He has had time to reflect on his behaviour and felt anxious when in custody. It’s an experience he does not wish to experience again. He wants to improve his behaviour in the future.”

The magistrates bench gave the boy a referral order for nine months, which is a programme to help prevent him re-offending.

The teenager was told by the court that it was only because he was a youth without any previous offences that it had handed him a referral order instead of another form of sentence.