Three young men spent the equivalent of a six-month prison sentence behind bars because they were “nosy” and curious about the summer riots, York Crown Court heard.

Adam Boukhaf, 22, Mohammed Wako, 22, and Edward Savvas, 19, armed themselves with items to be used as weapons if they were attacked and went to see a protest and counter protest near a York city centre hotel housing asylum seekers on August 7, said James Holding, prosecuting.

All three were arrested and have been in prison on remand ever since.

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Barristers for the three said they had never been in trouble with the law before and had not intended to start any violence.

“They were present to observe, being young and nosy to see what was going on,” said Boukhaf’s barrister Laura Addy.

Boukhaf’s actions had put at risk his lifelong dream to serve in the Royal Navy, she added.

Defence barrister Glenn Parsons said Wako was a professional boxer whose actions could affect his licence as he would have to report his conviction and sentence to the British Boxing Board of Control and Savvas’ conviction could affect his future job applications.

The Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, said the three, who had originally been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause violent disorder, had been “thoroughly investigated” by the police and there was no evidence to support the allegation that they had got together to cause a disturbance, either together or with others.

“They stupidly took some items in case they themselves got attacked,” he said.  They had not used or waved the weapons.

All three had already served longer than the maximum he could impose for the crimes they had committed and all three were “thoroughly decent men,” he said.

He conditionally discharged all three for 12 months.

Boukhaf, of Eboracum Way, central York, pleaded guilty to having motorcycle gloves with extra padding on the knuckles as an offensive weapon and Edward Savvas of Murray Street, Holgate, and Mohammed Wako, of Walmgate, York, both pleaded guilty to having a dumbbell bar as an offensive weapon. They were released from jail following the hearing.

Mr Holding said police accosted the three because Boukhaf and Wako had alerted both their suspicions and those of a member of the public. They were joined by Savvas and all three were searched.

The gloves were found on Boukhaf, though it was a warm summer evening and he didn’t have a motorbike with him, and a dumbbell bar on Savvas.  A second dumbbell bar was found nearby and CCTV footage showed Wako had one on him as he walked through the city centre.

The three had met up at Wako’s flat and a search of it revealed a set of dumbbell weights and fittings but no dumbbell bars.