A THIEF who used a stolen van during a break-in at a school bike shed has been locked up and the badly re-painted vehicle was spotted outside his home.

Christopher Currie bought the stolen VW Transporter van for £500 before he and an accomplice set off on a theft spree stealing four bikes and a motorbike.

Teesside Crown Court heard how within two days of the van being stolen it had been given an ‘amateurish’ paint job using black gloss paint.

Currie and his accomplice used the stolen van to steal four bikes from a school shed whilst youngsters were on the premises.

Shaun Dryden, prosecuting, said the defendant was captured on CCTV driving around the Stockton area before he was arrested on April 26 last year.

He said: “The van was recorded on CCTV driving into the grounds of Bishopsgarth School in Stockton before four bikes were stolen. On the same day there were reports that two men had removed a motorbike and put it in a van.”

​Mr Dryden said: “Later that same day a police officer noticed the van parked outside a house, there was no front number plate, it had been hand-painted with black gloss paint and in the rear garden of the house there was a Honda CBX motorbike.”

The court heard that a pedal bike recovered from the property was one of those stolen from the school.

The Northern Echo: Christopher CurrieChristopher Currie

Currie, of Eastcroft Road, Middlesbrough, admitted two charges of handling stolen goods and one charge of theft for the four bikes.

Kelly Sherif, in mitigation, said 34-year-old had been in full time employment working as a builder and was no longer associated with his co-accused.

She said: “He is very sorry for this crime, he tells me that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was led astray.”

Judge Howard Crowson jailed Currie for a total of two years when he appeared for sentence.

Dealing with the handling of the stolen VW van, the judge said: “You pretty much deprived him of his livelihood by what you did. It had only been stolen two days ag in a house burglary and by the time it was found in your possession it was in a different colour.

“You admit candidly that you knew it was stolen when you took it. The fact is that if people didn’t willingly buy stolen goods they wouldn’t provide a market for thieves and they may not be so encouraged to steal.”

The judge heard how Currie brought £500 in cash to the court to pay towards compensation for his victims.

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