A YOUNG woman, branded a hooligan by a judge, was yesterday jailed for two years for making racist threats to a takeaway owner.

Stacey Ord, 21, who was already the subject of an anti-social behaviour order (Asbo) for her behaviour in West Cornforth, County Durham, breached it by her actions at the Basmati takeaway in the village.

Durham Crown Court heard that her behaviour was previously partly blamed for driving an author, who settled in West Cornforth, from the village.

She threatened to do the same to the brothers who ran the Basmati after an incident in which a number of young women were asked to leave the shop.

On another occasion police attending a report of eggs being thrown at the premises saw Ord driving up and down the nearby high street, playing loud music with the windows wound down, breaching the terms of an Asbo imposed in March 2005.

Chris Baker, prosecuting, said on another occasion she shouted racist abuse at one of the Basmati owners, who is from Bangladesh, leading to her being arrested.

Ord, of The Village Farm, West Cornforth, who also lived at Beechfield Rise, in nearby Coxhoe while on bail, admitted racially-aggravated threatening, abusive words and behaviour, and three counts of breaching her asbo.

Annelise Haugstad, mitigating, said: "She describes herself as 'a young woman with a mouth on her'.

"She didn't set out to target anyone through membership of another group, but she clearly got into a dispute and used entirely the wrong language."

Miss Haugstad said Ord intended to eventually move from the area to Plymouth, following her sentence.

Jailing her, Judge Richard Lowden told Ord: "It's quite clear from the facts of this case that you're simply a hooligan.

"You consistently commit public order offences and you're a thorough nuisance.

"It's not the Asbo that causes you trouble, it's your behaviour that led to it and the persistent breaches that is the trouble."