A MAN who stored two stolen cars avoided a jail sentence yesterday after a judge warned he could have gone to prison for 18 months.

Shaun Lance was sentenced to 80 hours community service and placed on a two-year community rehabilitation order at Teesside Crown Court after admitting two charges of handling stolen goods.

The court heard Lance, 29, of Queen Street, Redcar, had stored the stolen vehicles in his yard in Middlesbrough between June 12 and August 4 last year.

Sentencing Lance, Judge Peter Powers said he accepted that at first Lance had not known they were stolen and when he began to get suspicious and tried to get out of the situation, he was threatened by the car thieves.

He said he also had to hand over £2,500 to the thieves after the cars were recovered by police.

Judge Bowers said Lance had come very close to receiving a custodial sentence.

Defence barrister Andrew Taylor said his client had not gone to the police after he discovered the cars were stolen as he feared retribution. At the time, he said, Lance was going through a difficult time and was at a low ebb. He said Lance was remorseful and ashamed of what he had done.