THREE teenagers ended up in court after they spent an afternoon “messing about” in a boat on the River Ouse.

Members of the public called police to investigate thefts from St Oswald Road landing on April 9 shortly before noon, said Sandra White, prosecuting.

At 3pm, while officers were taking statements from witnesses, the trio was spotted downstream in a safety boat which had been reported as stolen. Police were waiting for them on the bank when they disembarked and arrested them.

In the boat was a stolen outboard motor, worth £200, belonging to John Worsdale.

The white Sepro Rib boat belonged to the University of York Boat Club and was worth £2,500. The boys, none of whom is an undergraduate, did not have permission to take it.

The boys’ solicitor, Neal Kutte, said: “Boys will be boys. One thing leads to another. They were messing about on the river with the engine and they intended to return the boat.”

All three pleaded guilty to taking a boat without consent and theft of the outboard motor.

An unemployed 16-year-old and a 17-year-old trainee joiner, both from east York, were each given a three-month referral order. Neither had previous convictions.

A 15-year-old boy from west York, who had previous convictions, received a six-month youth rehabilitation order. They were each ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs. None can be named for legal reasons.

In separate hearings they each told York Youth Court that before they got into the boat they had spoken to a man who told them it had been abandoned and no one had been near it for some time.

He said they could use it if they could get it “off its rope”, the court was told. They didn’t know his full name.

The court heard the man had no authority to give the three permission to use the boat.