A Dutch court has convicted two teenagers of theft for stealing virtual items in a computer game and sentenced them to community service.

Radio Netherlands reports that the two teenagers - a 15 and a 14-year-old - were found guilty of using violence to rob a 13-year-old classmate of virtual property in the multiplayer online game RuneScape.

The Dutch broadcaster's English language news services reported that the victim was coerced into transferring the item to the older boys after they "kicked and struck the victim and threatened him with a knife"on several occasions last year.