MAGISTRATES made a landmark order banning a Bridgwater yob from every pub in the land - then banned the Mercury from showing you what he looks like.

Ryan Jodkowski, 23, from King George Avenue, has been banned from every licensed premises in England and Wales between 7pm and 7am, banned from buying alcohol altogether, and banned from being under the influence of drink in public.

Jodkowski, who was jailed in 2007 for his part in a drunken assault which left a man brain damaged, and convicted of another assault in January this year, faces a £2,500 fine if he breaches the drink banning order, which expires next July.

But after making the order at a hearing this month, magistrates Michael Dodden, Alison Westinghouse and Stephanie Qadir then ordered that Jodkowski's face be kept out of the press; at the time of going to press, nobody from Sedgemoor Magistrates Court could explain why.

Police, who had sought the drink banning order after complaining of Jodkowski's “long history of alcohol-related disorder”, did not object to the photo ban, saying images of Jodkowski would be given directly to pubs and clubs instead.

Bridgwater's MP Ian Liddell-Grainger said he would write to the Justice Secretary to complain, adding: “I'm sure publicans would like to see this man's picture plastered all over town.”

And Simon Westrop, head of legal affairs for the Mercury's parent company, Newsquest Media Group, added: “Our position is that the court does not have the power to make an order banning us from publishing his photo, but even if it did, such an order would be self-defeating.”

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