YOUNG thug Paul Carter is today behind bars and starting a four-year sentence at a detention centre for young offenders.

Some of the ordeals the 17-year-old, right, subjected his victims to - which were virtually identical - lasted more than an hour.

And the Daily Echo can reveal his identity after successfully overturning a court order that is designed to protect him because he is under 18.

Carter, from Quantock Road, Millbrook, picked on groups of boys and claimed that they had hurt his brother or sister - who didn't exist - by pushing into them.

In some cases he targeted people coming out of Burger King, sitting eating lunch at McDonald's, coming out of the train station or at Leisure World.

He would then order them to come and apologise to his sister or brother and force them across the city on to a lonely footbridge or passageway where he would rob them.

In some cases he would lure his victims by playing on their goodwill, telling them his sister had cancer or was in a wheelchair.

In the 11 counts of robbery he pleaded guilty to at Southampton Crown Court he got away with two mobile phones, shopping vouchers, cash, a rucksack, a Gameboy and cash cards which he demanded the pin numbers for.

It's the latest in a string of offences -including burglary, theft, robbery, shoplifting, criminal damage and being drunk and disorderly - which have seen him before the courts.

Carter also committed identical robberies last year.

Sentencing Carter, Judge David Griffiths said: "I have to sentence you against the background of the fact that you have committed these offences before.

"The mitigating factors are your co-operation with police. I take into account that no violence was used and no weapons.

"Your threats to break noses, throwing stones, threats to break legs and stabbing are just some that I noted.

"I have read the victim impact statements. Most or all of these victims have suffered various degrees of psychological damage. This sort of thing is very serious.

"You are a persistent offender and your risk of re-offending is high."

Speaking after the sentencing, officer in the case PC Paul Lancaster said: "I am very pleased with the sentence. He threatened young people and used the brother and sister lie against their good nature.

"A lot of his victims are now concerned about going into the city centre and a lot of them just keep away. What he has done will not be tolerated by police."