Conman banned from online selling

AN Ipswich conman has been banned from selling goods online after admitting using eBay to shift stolen power tools.

A judge warned Adrian Smith, who has a partner and young child, that he would go to prison if he continued offending.

The 32-year-old of Britannia Road advertised three power drills valued at about £1,000 on the internet site in January.

The drills had been stolen from B & Q in Bury Road, Ipswich, just a few weeks earlier.

Ipswich Crown Court heard that Smith also sold a stolen satnav and a Sony stereo system.

Patricia Doggett prosecuting, said Smith, who had a previous record for similar offending, initially knew the items were stolen.

She said: “He maintained he had bought them all at the Portman Road car boot sale on January 6 this year, but B & Q did not get them until January 16.”

Smith pleaded guilty to one charge of handling stolen goods, three charges of making false representations to eBay users and three charges of converting criminal property between January 1 and February 14, 2008.

Smith refused to name those he bought the stolen items from but told police he was “easily led” and “stupid” to have offended.

The court heard that Smith, who had a record dating back to 1993 also blamed his offending on being placed in local authority care when he was 11-years-old.

Recorder Martyn Levett said: “The drills were stolen in the second week of January and very soon after you put them on eBay so you are very close to the source of the person who stole them.”

Smith was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison but the term was suspended for 18 months.

Mr Levett said: “If you so much as put a foot out of line or commit an offence you will be in breach and you will go to prison for 20 weeks.”

Smith was also banned from selling goods on the internet for 18 months, placed on 12 months probation supervision, told to complete the Think First Programme and ordered to carry out 120 hours unpaid work.