A MOCK "happy-slapping" attack in which a teenager was apparently assaulted and bundled into the boot of a car has been condemned by police as a mindless prank.

The hoax, described as a "spur of the moment mock abduction", was filmed on a mobile phone by a group of teenagers who intended to post it on the internet site Bebo.

But the disturbing plan unravelled after a teenage girl, who witnessed the incident on Wimborne Road on Sunday night, reported it to police, prompting a full-scale investigation.

After a story about the apparent attack appeared in the Echo, four of the six involved - all in their late teens and from the Bournemouth and Poole area - went to Poole police station on Tuesday night to confess what they'd done.

Another visited the station yesterday to hand over the mobile, and the sixth was spoken to by police on the phone.

The footage, described by detectives as "very realistic", was deleted.

Detective Sergeant Joe Williams, of Poole CID, thanked the 19-year-old woman who called police.

He said: "She absolutely did the right thing and we are very grateful for her call. She quite reasonably assumed that serious crime was taking place."

He added that the teenagers involved were embarrassed, very apologetic, and had told their parents.

Det Sgt Williams added: "Their actions were extremely irresponsible and foolhardy and we have given them strong words of advice about the consequences. This sort of a mindless prank in a public place will not be tolerated by Dorset Police.

"People should be very aware of their actions and how they can be perceived by others."