Lucy, 19, becomes Britain's youngest magistrate

A 19-year-old law student has become Britain's youngest magistrate.

But the appointment of Lucy Tate to the bench in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, has attracted criticism from other magistrates who claim her youth and lack of experience make her ill-equipped for the job.

One magistrate, who did not want to be named, said: "It is an absolute folly to have somebody so young making such important decisions. What life experience does she have at 19?'

Miss Tate was recruited after a £4 million government advertising campaign two years ago to recruit more young people and ethnic minority candidates to the bench.

Magistrates without legal qualifications deal mainly with minor criminal offences and some family cases - the minimum age was reduced from 27 to 18 in 2004.