Teenage thugs punished for rioting at young offenders' institution could win compensation, after a judge ruled banning them from gym violated their human rights Invaded football pitch at Ashfield YOI and used goal posts as weapons Riot last February forced a shut down of the institution near Bristol Seven inmates were stripped of privileges for their part in riot Top judge has now ruled their human rights were breached They could be in line for payouts after costly High Court hearing Seven teenage thugs involved in a riot that forced a shut down at a young offenders institution could be in line for compensation - after a judge ruled the facility violated their human rights by banning them from the gym as punishment. The seven, all serving sentences for serious crimes, were amongst a baying mob of 24 youths who invaded a football pitch at Ashfield Young Offenders Institution in February last year. In terrifying scenes at the institution, near Bristol, the teenagers tore up astroturf and used parts of demolished goal posts as weapons to threaten staff. Riot: The violence at Ashfield young offender institute forced a shut down of the facility A command centre had to be set up and the riot continued for about three hours before officers wearing full protective gear finally managed to quell the violence. The group of seven, two of whom had to be physically restrained and held in a segregation unit after they refused to surrender, were stripped of various privileges for the part they played. Breach: The verdict came after a costly four day hearing at the High Court, paid for out of the public purse Their association with other prisoners was cut down for a few days, telephones and televisions were removed from their cells - and they were banned from using the gym for two weeks. Yesterday, after an enormously costly four-day High Court hearing - all paid for by the public purse - Mrs Justice Nicola Davies ruled that correct disciplinary procedures had not been followed and the human rights of all seven had been breached. Five of the thugs had had their freedom of association wrongly restricted for three days after the riot and all seven had been "unlawfully" banned from using the gym, she ruled. The seven, whose case was backed by the Howard League for Penal Reform, had also been denied a fair hearing before an independent adjudicator because relevant documents had not been handed to their lawyers in advance, the judge said. The Director of the institution, which is operated by Serco Ltd under contract with the Ministry of Justice, had argued that restrictions on the seven's privileges and association rights were entirely reasonable given their role in a 'concerted act of indiscipline'. The temporary suspension of the seven's gym privileges was "proportionate and reasonable," particularly as the violence had occurred in the context of physical education. But the judge ruled the treatment of young people in custody had to be rigorously scrutinised and prison rules laying down strict disciplinary procedures were there to be followed. The ruling opens the way for the seven, all now adults, to seek compensation for their unlawful treatment. The sums due to them will be assessed by a judge at a later date, unless settlement terms are agreed before then.