An 18-year-old boy was sentenced to 240 hours of community service after he was caught receiving items stolen from the Salvation Army earlier in December.

Christopher Palmer, of a Harbour View address, pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.

Allegations read in court are that on December 1, some men broke into the Salvation Army offices at North Parade. When the police went to the location, they saw Palmer collecting carton boxes. He attempted to flee and was chased by police who took him back to the location and searched him and found him with the property of the Salvation Army.

The court was told that the stolen items allegedly were eight mattresses, toilets and carton boxes of soap. His attorney pleaded with the court for leniency, but that did not keep Palmer from getting a stern warning from Resident Magistrate Glen Brown.

RM Brown told the accused that he needed to stop stealing or he would end up in prison. "You are going to come to this courthouse every Wednesday for the next 20 hours and you are going to make the environs of the court look good," he told the accused before handing down his sentence.

He also told the accused that he would personally supervise the work and that he would only be excused from the duties on Christmas and New Year's days.