RARE and expensive sports equipment stolen from a North-East car has been returned to its rightful owner after it was put up for sale on internet auction site eBay.
Police raided a Darlington house and recovered the two rare archery bows and accessories after the victims spotted a small piece of the gear up for sale - from a seller living in the same town.
The perpetrator, who has not been named by police, was given a caution for handling stolen goods and almost all the equipment, worth a total of £1,500, was recovered.
The equipment had been imported from America and would have been almost impossible for the victims to replace.
Investigating officer PC Amanda Holland advised the victims, a family of archery enthusiasts, to check the auction site regularly after the equipment was stolen from a car in the West End on August 22.
The victims checked the site daily and spotted a piece of equipment, identical to one of the parts stolen, on a 24-hour auction on Friday of last week.
They contacted the police, and PC Holland got in touch with eBay to access the sellers address, before obtaining a court order to raid the house.
A swoop on the seller's house in the Eastbourne area of the town, less than two miles from where the equipment was stolen, recovered all but one small part of the missing gear.
The seller was arrested, admitted to handling stolen goods, and was cautioned.
PC Holland said the case was a good example of the police working with victims and eBay to get the right result.
"It is difficult for the police to look on eBay for every single item stolen - it would take too much time. Also, the victims know exactly what they are looking for.
"I was immediately suspicious because the equipment is virtually unique, the seller was in Darlington and it was a 24-hour auction.
"People selling stolen goods on places like eBay is getting more and more common.
"I think this case sends a message to anyone thinking about selling stolen goods on eBay and also shows how we can get a good result when we all work together."
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