THREE teenagers have been convicted of going equipped to steal and being on someone’s property.

Darren Altrudo, 19, of Bramley Road in Ladbroke Grove was convicted of going equipped to steal and being found in or upon enclosed premises under the Vagrancy Act 1824, which was originally intended for those committing offences ‘to be deemed rogues and vagabonds’.

The motorbike enthusiast was found in August last year near a property in Elm Park Road, Pinner, with two 17-year-old boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, after a woman had seen three boys wearing hoodies jump over the back fence of her sister’s house.

Police said they found the trio a few hundred yards from the house sweating profusely and carrying a grip, a screw and a bike torch.

Altrudo was not carrying anything, but one of his co-defendants had a bike light, which he claimed he used for getting back through his muddy garden in the dark.

They were arrested on August 14 last year and questioned at Heathrow Airport police station.

All three, who denied the charges, were convicted of both charges at Brent Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, February 16.

One of the 17-year-old’s father gave evidence at the trial and said: “My son was at home that morning and asked me if he could borrow some spanners to fix Darren’s bike, but when I lend him my tools I never get them back, so I gave him a grip to take a panel off the motorbike so they could fix it.”

The two 17-year-olds will appear at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court for sentencing next month and Altrudo was handed a 12-month suspended sentence, which will incur a 12-week detention order if he fails to comply with the conditions, at the same court on Monday, February 20.

Strict bail conditions have been imposed on the boys since August and they are not allowed to contact each other and must be back at their home addresses between 9pm and 7am daily.

The Vagrancy Act dates back to 1824 when George IV was on the throne and it was designed to allow police to apprehend anyone they took a dislike to.