A DECORATOR found guilty of stealing jewellery worth nearly £60,000 from a couple's bedroom walked free from court yesterday.

But the judge said Anthony Cormack had narrowly escaped going to jail.

Father-of-three Cormack, 37, was shocked to learn from police the value of the collection, which he stuffed into a bag of plaster after it fell from a vanity unit.

The decorator, who was on the dole and in debt, left it among the plaster after he was moved to another job.

Village tea shop owner Susan Melton reported it missing to the police but it was found in the bag days later by her husband, Michael, who had hidden it in the vanity unit earlier for safe keeping.

They had just moved to the Country Tea Shop in Front Street, Staindrop, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, from near Hungerford, in Berkshire, where the jewellery had been kept in a safe.

The police had the find valued at more than £57,000, because it included an 18-carat gold, diamond and mother-of-pearl Rolex watch, similar to one worn by Victoria Beckham, said Dan Cordey, prosecuting.

Cormack still claimed he was innocent, said Brian Russell, defending. Reports said that he was used to working and that a substantial number of hours of community punishment would emphasise the message about his crime, Teesside Crown Court was told.

Cormack, of Deona Court, Darlington, who was found guilty last month of the theft on July 8, was ordered to complete 200 hours community punishment.

The judge, Recorder Rebecca Thornton, told him: "I accept that you did not know how valuable the property was when you stole it, and happily it was recovered.

"You have narrowly escaped going to prison, but in the view of this court a community punishment order would be a suitable punishment."