Manchester United starlet Ravel Morrison has escaped a jail sentence.
The Mail on Sunday reports Morrison - a promising 18-year-old midfielder - admitted witness intimidation and was told he would be jailed for a year if he was in trouble again.
Morrison, who made his first team debut against Wolverhampton in November, was sentenced earlier this year - but the details can only now be revealed because he has since turned 18.
Trafford Youth Court heard how Morrison and two of his friends - Daryl Garwood, also now 18, and a teenager who cannot be named for legal reasons - intimidated a teenager who had been robbed at knifepoint by two other boys, described in court as 'friends or associates' of Morrison, in September 2009.
Over the course of two days, Morrison contacted the boy - who had his trainers and music player stolen in the attack - a 'number of times' by mobile phone.
The court heard how the calls began to take on a more threatening nature and Morrison offered to buy goods to replace the stolen items - in return for the victim dropping the charges.
Morrison - who signed professional terms with United on his 17th birthday, just days before he was arrested - was sentenced to a 12-month referral order and ordered to pay £1,445 in costs and compensation. District judge Wendy Lloyd warned Morrison he would be jailed for 12 months if he put a foot out of line.
She said: "I have a straight-forward choice - send you away or give you a referral order. I've decided to give you a referral order but you will be spending 12 months in a young offenders institute if you breach it."
A United spokesman said: "The club does not in any way condone Ravel's actions, but he is a very talented player with a bright future ahead of him. The right thing to do now is to support him and help him in the process of his rehabilitation."
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