MAGISTRATES have admitted they had made a mistake by preventing the Mercury from publishing a photo of a Bridgwater man who was given a landmark drink banning order.

We reported last week how Ryan Jodkowski, 23, of King George Avenue, had been barred 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.

Police had sought the order because Jodkowski had a history of drink-related offences. In 2007, he was jailed for his part in an assault which left a man brain damaged.

However, when magistrates made the drink banning order, they also agreed to a police request to ban the press from publishing Jodkowski's picture.

A hearing at Sedgemoor Magistrates' Court yesterday, where the photo ban was removed, heard police had requested no pictures be published because Jodkowski feared reprisals.

However, the court's legal advisor Michael Brook revealed the court had no power to impose such a ban on those grounds.

In formally overturning the photo ban, chairman of the bench, Nicholas Van Der Bijl, said he did so not just because of pressure from the Mercury.

He said: “The bench did query the common sense side of including this in the order at the time so it wasn't something we were entirely comfortable with.”

Mr Van Der Bijl added: “The part banning publication does not achieve what was intended to be set out, and I have to agree.”