THE inadequate sentences imposed on four youths who brayed over a dying man will quite rightly anger all law-abiding members of our community.

These four teenagers were part of a much larger gang which terrorised an innocent neighbourhood in Horwich.

The gang thought it humorous to hurl abuse at older people, to throw stones at windows and doors, to make people feel uncomfortable and threatened.

Sadly their kind and the moronic behaviour they find stimulating is becoming commonplace across this town.

When one Horwich resident, ex-firefighter Ken Arrowsmith, intervened to stop this gang's harassment of his family and his neighbours, he paid with his life.

As he lay dying in his wife's arms the youths, we are told, "laughed."

This type of behaviour would be unacceptable in less civilised societies and the penalties inflicted would be harsh. It almost seems incredulous that in Britain in the Millennium we can tolerate such demonic acts and respond by giving no more than a slap on the wrists to those responsible.

Not only do we feel sorry for the magistrates involved in this case, who through legalities were only able to conditionally discharge this sorry bunch, we are also shamed that this newspaper is unable to identify the perpetrators -- again because of the protection they are afforded by the laws of the land. As so-called children their names and addresses are kept secret. But their actions on that night were not the work of children.

Ken Arrowsmith's death was a needless one.

He died of a heart attack brought on by the anxiety of tackling these youths.

The law decided to charge those involved with nothing more serious than public order offences.

These youngsters may not have have physically killed Mr Arrowsmith . . . but we all contributed to his death.

The police who ignored his pleas and the pleas of others to tackle the growing problem of yobs in his community and across the town cannot escape criticism.

Neither can successive governments who, despite promises of tougher sentencing and more severe deterrents on thugs, fail to deliver what is necessary.

And perhaps most saddening, neither can the general public who through fear or intimidation have allowed this latest scourge on society to spread like a cancer.

We pray today marks the beginning of a cure...