A man who tried to sell off items stolen during a house burglary was caught after handing a cashier his passport and real address.
Grzesiek Stanski, 21, went into the Coin Shop in Accrington around 90 minutes after another man Sylvester Makowiecki had ransacked a house on Whalley Road, Burnley Crown Court heard.
The pair handed over a quantity of jewellery, a gold sovereign from 1893 and a gold pocket watch given to the victim’s great-grandfather for his five decades of service as a primary school caretaker.
But the court was told that Stanski did not know the goods were stolen and took no part in the burglary.
The court heard how Stanski gave his real identification details including his passport and address to confirm the deal and they received £470.
Stanski, of Hill Lane, Manchester, pleaded guilty to dishonestly undertaking or assisting in the retention, removal, or disposal of goods.
Makowiecki, 26, of Queen Street, Clayton-le-Moors, was jailed for eight months last year for burglary and false representation.
Stephen Parker, prosecuting, told the court that the burglary happened at around 12noon on January 17 last year when the owners went out shopping.
The court heard how Makowiecki carried out the burglary and there was no evidence to show involvement from Stanski.
At around 1.30pm the same day, both Makowiecki and Stanski went into the Coin Shop on Blackburn Road to hand over some of the £25,000 worth of items stolen from the house, the court heard.
Mr Parker told the court that Stanski also left a fingerprint on the receipt but was not identified for some time. He told the court: “When the police tracked him down over a year later he accepted he had been in the shop that day. He had been with the other man but didn’t realise what was going on was illegal. He didn’t realise they had been stolen.”
Paul Bryning, defending, said Stanski played only a ‘peripheral role’.
He said: “He was at a low mood and a low ebb in his life. He was in financial difficulties at the time.”
Stanski was committed to prison for three months, suspended for 12 months with a nine-month supervision requirement and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £80.
Sentencing, Recorder Christopher Alldis said there was a ‘lack of sophistication’ when disposing of the goods.
He said: “Within half an hour of a very serious domestic burglary you were assisting in the disposal of the proceeds of that burglary.
“There is no evidence that you assisted with the majority of the proceeds of the burglary, which in all totalled some £25,000, but you did do a small proportion.”
