A BOY who picked up some live bullets at an Army firing range near York and kept them in his bedroom has been convicted by a court for possession of ammunition.

The 13-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had picked up the 7.62mm rounds at Strensall Common and put them in his pocket, unaware that they could be dangerous.

Police found them in his bedroom when they searched his house after he and a friend were arrested for stealing a Honda 125 motorcycle from someone's garage in Strensall, York youth court heard yesterday.

The teenager pleaded guilty to stealing the motorbike, as well as possession of the ammunition with no licence.

The court heard how on November 27,2007, he and his friend had noticed a garage door in Strensall had been left unlocked and had taken the Honda 125. Neither of them knew how to start it without the keys so they had begun wheeling it along the road when a neighbour of the bike's owner caught them and called the police.

Officers then searched the teenager's bedroom, where they found the bullets.

His solicitor, Julian Tanikal, said: "The bullets were standard ammo issued for a rifle and Strensall Common does have a firing range. He had no gun with which to fire it and it wasn't in a public place - it was in his bedroom.

"I suspect that being a young boy he spotted it with magpie eyes and had taken it as a trophy rather than for any other purpose." Magistrates told the boy how he could have lost his leg if the bullet had been faulty and had gone off in his pocket.

He was told: "Try to imagine what it would be like trying to live your life if you had lost a leg. The law is there for your own safety."

The teenager's referral order, which he was already serving for a previous conviction for criminal damage, was extended by 12 months.

His mother was ordered to pay £43 costs and also given a parental bind-over, which means she will have to pay £100 to the courts if her son gets into trouble again at any time during the next year.

An Army spokeswoman said: "It's standard safety practice to clear all military debris - including live and fired ammunition - from weapon-firing areas.

"It is an extremely rare occurrence to find live ammunition left on the ranges.

"Fired cases and bullet heads, which contain no explosives, are occasionally found.

"All the ammunition fired at Strensall is from small arms, machine guns and rifles.

"We would advise the public not to pick up anything found on the training area as potentially it could be dangerous."