A FORMER convicted thief, who was jailed for his part in the theft of a £400,000 Rembrandt painting, has won an out-of-tribunal settlement for work he did while he was a prisoner.

In 1997, former antiques dealer David Duddin, 56, was sentenced to nine years at Newcastle Crown Court for setting up a black market deal for the stolen masterpiece.

While serving 18 months of his sentence at Kirklevington Grange Prison, Yarm, he undertook full-time work as a porter at a nearby three-star Judges Hotel.

When the hotel failed to pay him overtime and holiday time accrued during his 11-month employment, Duddin took the hotel to an industrial tribunal.

The case was due to be heard in Newcastle last Friday, but at the last minute, the hotel owners paid up.

Speaking at his home in Benton, North Tyneside, Mr Duddin, said: "They gave me everything I was asking for, which was £911 holiday and overtime pay. They ignored working time regulations. They said I had no rights because I was a prisoner.

"I worked for them on a daily basis. Thankfully they have backed down, but I wish it had gone to court because people should know that this sort of thing goes on. It has taken months of legal action. I think they have wasted the country's money. I received legal aid for the case. They should have just paid me."

Duddin served 4 years of his sentence and spent some of his time at Durham's Frankland prison.

The Rembrandt had been in the ownership of the Earl of Pembroke's family for more than 300 years before it was stolen in a burglary at Wilton House in Wiltshire.

He was trapped during a series of secretly recorded meetings with a detective, who posed as an adviser to black market buyers.

The painting was one of a number of items stolen from stately homes.

Judges Hotel and its owners, Down's Holding Ltd, refused to comment on the case. A spokesman for the Prison Service said it did not comment on individual cases.