A SCRAP metal dealer caught with a stash of stolen car parts has been spared jail.
Ian Finlay was collared when police raided his lock up at a depot in Gateshead on November 6 last year.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how the 45-year-old, who has previous convictions for handling stolen goods, had power tools and motor parts which had been stolen from across the north east and as far away as Scotland.
Finlay, of Eastbourne Parade, Hebburn, admitted handling stolen goods.
The court heard since his arrest he has been offered work with a construction firm and is no longer running his scrap metal business.
Mr Recorder Christopher Batty told Finlay: "You are a serial receiver of stolen vehicle parts."
The judge sentenced him to 51 weeks imprisonment, suspended for two years and ordered him to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.
The judge said his guilty plea and job prospects meant the sentence could be suspended.
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