THREE schoolboys have been placed on the sex offenders' register for indecently assaulting a young girl in a Basingstoke park.

On Hallowe'en last year, the trio - one brandishing a mask similar to that used in the horror movie Scream - held the arms of a girl, who was aged under 16, by her side to stop her moving. Two of the boys then put their hands inside her bra and knickers.

The indecent assault stopped when a nearby resident, alerted by the girl's screams, intervened.

The boys, who are aged 14 and 15 and cannot be named for legal reasons, were all found guilty of indecent assault at Basingstoke Youth Court.

During the trial, the justices heard the teenagers were out trick-or-treating when they approached the victim, who was sat on a bollard in Hardy Lane Park with a female friend, just before 9.30pm.

The boys all admitted being at the park when the assault occurred but pleaded not guilty to indecent assault.

Two of them denied being involved in the assault and the other accepted he had held the girl's wrists but claimed he had not known she was being indecently assaulted.

Nick Tucker, defending one of the boys, said his client had a troubled family life and problems with drink and drugs. He added: "He's a bright lad who went off the rails for a short period of time."

Bob Penfold, representing another of the defendants, said the incident was a one-off, while Nigel Bourne, representing the third boy, said: "He is very ashamed of what's happened."

Two of the boys were put on an action plan order for three months to deter them from re-offending and to help them cope with peer pressure. The other boy was placed on a supervision plan for six months.

All of the boys were placed on various courses to help with their rehabilitation.