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Bosses at a theme park in York, England have been criticized for offering free admission for people issued with an Anti-social Behavior Order (ASBO) by the court.

The York Dungeon offered free admission over the holiday weekend for ASBO offenders to mark the opening of a special exhibition on old-school justice. Dungeon manager Helen Douglas explained that the offer was intended to illustrate how anti-social behavior was dealt with in the past.

“What we’re handing out ASBOs for today are exactly the same sort of crimes that people would have been transported or even hanged for during the bloody code of the 18th century,” she said. “While I’m by no means advocating a return to the punishments of old, I thought that it might shock the ASBOs a little to see what would’ve happened to them a couple of hundred years ago.”

But the locals are not amused. Last year scores of residents in York fell victim to a tire slashing campaign by local youths - most of whom were eventually issued ASBOs.

One resident was dismayed, “This move by York Dungeon is absolutely disgusting. If I wanted to go into the dungeons this weekend, I’d have to pay. But if someone like the person woh slashed my tires went along, they could get in for free. It’s just not right.”

Hugh Bayley, the local MP, couldn’t agree more. “This is a publicity-seeking gimmick which goes too far,” He said. “The public needs protection from anti-social behaviour and York Dungeon shouldn’t be rewarding people who have been sentenced to an ASBO by the courts.”