A BEGGAR threw his sleeping bag in the River Ouse and strode off in a huff when a police officer told him off for claiming to be homeless, York magistrates heard.

Roy George Finch, 41, has lived in a council house for 14 years and gets hundreds of pounds a month in state benefits.

Two months earlier, a different bench of York magistrates had given him a conditional discharge when he appeared before them for two offences of begging.

Finch, of Thief Lane, York, pleaded guilty to disposing of items in a way likely to pollute the River Ouse and breaching the conditional discharge. He claims employment support allowance.

Magistrates ordered him to pay £436 including fines of £150, plus £256 prosecution costs and a £30 statutory surcharge.

Victoria Waudby, prosecuting for City of York Council, said Finch had a sleeping bag, rucksack and book with him as he begged for money from passing pedestrians on Ouse Bridge on September 28 at 2.40pm.

A police community support officer spoke to him about passing himself off as homeless when he was not.

Finch picked up the sleeping bag, rucksack and book and threw them in the river.

"The defendant then went away swearing," said Ms Waudby. "The items in the river were dangerous to river users, particularly as the sleeping bag was in an open state at the time and could have caused an accident."

Asked if he wanted to say anything, Finch told the court: "I would rather not."

Last summer, York magistrates heard Finch had been a council tenant since 2004 and received £900 a month in benefits.

He had been begging regularly for some time.

After this latest hearing, Cllr Jenny Brooks, executive member for housing and safer neighbourhoods, said: “This person lied as he begged by claiming to be homeless when in fact he had a home. No-one need beg in York as we can help those in need.

“To be certain that any money you wish to give goes to help those in genuine need, we have a cashless giving scheme. It is administered by the Two Ridings Foundation and ensures that the money given goes to those in ways that will help them into safer more stable lives.”

People who wish to give through our cashless giving scheme are asked to give by texting the message YORK35 £ to the number 70070, indicating how much they wish to give after the £.