A JOBLESS father-of-three took part in a year-long crime spree and sold thousands of pounds-worth of stolen wheel-trims on eBay.

Police received more than 60 reports of theft from motorists in the Darlington area throughout last year, a court heard on Friday.

When officers raided the home of Ian Fuller, they found “an assembly line” of car parts, said Christopher Williamson, prosecuting.

Mr Williamson told Teesside Crown Court that cleaning materials and tins of silver spray paint were also discovered.

A search of Fuller’s computer revealed £5,735-worth of wheel-trims had been sold on the internet between January and November.

In interview, the 34-year-old said some of the sales had been genuine, and insisted that he had made just £200 from the enterprise. Fuller claimed an associate from Darlington who did not have an eBay account or computer encouraged him to get involved in the scam.

He took police to 32 locations in and around the town where the thefts had taken place and made confessions, Mr Williamson said.

Robin Turton, mitigating, said Fuller was under enormous financial pressure when he “stupidly” agreed to take part in the crime spree.

He said the former electrical worker was “terrified” at the prospect of going to prison because of the impact it would have on his family.

Mr Turton told the court that two of Fuller’s children have autism and his wife has bipolar disorder, and he is the chief carer for them all.

“Through stupidity and this overwhelming sense of financial desperation, because the outgoings were not meeting the income, he let himself be involved in this criminal enterprise.

“This is not a case, for example, where there were enormous sums frittered away on luxuries in life,” Mr Turton told Recorder Michael Slater.

“This is somebody who was in financial straits and he had considerable obligations, and the money just went to make ends meet.”

Fuller, of Cock Lane, Piercebridge, near Darlington, was given a 12-month suspended prison sentence after he admitted conspiracy to steal.

The judge told him: “If you breach it you will be brought back before this court and you’ll be going to jail straight away in all likelihood.”