THE LAST of the five youths who caused £76,000 damage in a city centre flats complex has told York Crown Court jail has reformed him.

The boy, now 16, was “out of control” before he was given a four-month detention and training order for other offences last December, his solicitor advocate Graham Parkin told York Crown Court.

He was not sentenced with the other youths last month because he was still serving the custodial part of the order.

On the day he was released from Wetherby Young Offender Institute he appeared before York Crown Court and told Judge Simon Hickey: “Custody has really broken me. I don’t want to go back. I want to stay out. I apologise for my behaviour.”

The judge read reports from the juvenile prison's staff saying how being locked up had affected the boy.

“It is a shock to someone in your position, and rightly so,” he told the youth.

He gave the boy from Hartlepool an 18-month youth rehabilitation order with an intensive surveillance and supervision programme and a three-month nightly curfew from 9pm to 7am and warned him that he would be locked up if he breached it.

The boy admitted conspiracy to steal. He cannot be identified for legal reasons.

The damage was committed over three days in December 2018.

Four other youths received non-custodial sentences for their part in the anti-social behaviour in January.

York Crown Court heard how they had repeatedly vandalised mailboxes and stolen key fobs in Centurion Square off Skeldergate.

They had also gone into at least one flat and been seen throwing things out of it.

One of the youths admitted vandalising items inside a flat.

Police had to be called to the complex three days in a row to deal with the youths.