Howard attacks jail term for teacher

Michael Howard today pledged a war on yobs as he hit out at the jail sentence given to a teacher who fought back against vandals.

The Tory leader said there was "something seriously out of kilter" with a legal system that could send Linda Walker, 48, to prison for six months while imposing tiny sentences on drink drivers who kill.

In his first remarks on the affair, Mr Howard made clear he felt the jail term was out of proportion to her offence of firing an air pistol to warn off youths making her life a misery. Ms Walker's family reacted with fury when she was sentenced this week, pointing out that she had called the police 15 times but got no response.

Mr Howard also highlighted the case of Tracey Mason, whose brother was killed by a drink driver with no insurance or licence who was given a two-month jail term.

The Tory leader spoke out as he promised to give police more powers and time to tackle yobs. He said he wanted police to "eyeball" thugs, and "invade their personal body space, just like they're invading ours". Mr Howard said he would put a "war on yobs" at the centre of his election campaign with a series of new policies in the next few weeks to tackle the problem.

Today's five-point police plan includes a pledge to scrap the forms that from tomorrow all officers will have to fill out whenever they stop someone.

Mr Howard said: "A policeman stops a teenager in the street in front of his friends. The policeman asks him what he's up to - and then he has to fill out a form right there on the street. What signal does that send to the yobs terrorising our local communities?"

He promised to put 5,000 more police on the beat, and added: "I don't want members of the public looking over their shoulders, I want the yobs looking around in fear. It's time to give the yobs a dose of the fear they've been dishing out to the rest of us. I use that word deliberately. I want to make them fear the police."

Linda Walker's partner John Cavanagh today said they would appeal against her conviction at Manchester Crown Court.