A teenager was today starting an eight-month custodial sentence for a string of drunken outbursts in different parts of York.

The 16-year-old boy smashed windows, defied a curfew and a banning order, broke his mother's furniture and abused hospital staff as they tried to help him, prosecutor Colette Dixon told York Youth Court.

Police had to use CS spray on two occasions to control him.

On another, he was so drunk after drinking litres of cider, he collapsed in the street.

The court heard that unless the boy's drink problem was solved, his anti-social behaviour would continue.

Youth justices gave the boy an eight-month detention and training order saying that he had persistently failed to comply with non-custodial sentences and continued to offend while subject to court orders.

They called for the training part of the eight-month sentence to tackle the boy's alcohol abuse.

The boy, of no fixed address but who has family in north York, pleaded guilty to four charges of criminal damage, five of resisting police, five public order offences and one of theft.

The offences were committed on seven different dates between April 3 and June 19 in central Acomb, Chapelfields, York District Hospital's Accident and Emergency Department, and The Groves.

Mrs Dixon said on April 3 the boy collapsed unconscious in Front Street, Acomb, after smashing a house window.

Young bystanders told officers he had had "several litres of cider".

When ambulance crew tried to take him to hospital, he resisted so violently he had to be arrested.

On May 5, the day after police used CS spray against him in Bramham Road, officers spotted him in the street at 11pm, despite him being under a 9pm court curfew.

On June 3, police took him to York District Hospital when he collapsed in a police cell. But when casualty staff tried to examine him, he was so violent towards them that they were unable to help him.

On June 19, he entered the Spar Shop, Lowther Street, despite being barred from it. When staff told him to leave, he snatched a sandwich, broke the shop's large window and was violent towards police called by the staff.

Mr Robertson told York Youth Court: "Something has to be done. If not, he is going to be back here with more alcohol-related, possibly more serious offences."

The boy's large size tended to make people wary of him, but when not in drink, he was an "affable lad".

He did have an alcohol problem and "was not assisted" by his family background. He added that police were going to continue "to have concerns" about the boy when "out on the town" unless the drink problem was tackled.

The boy may have epilepsy. He planned to go into the Army.