A MAN was pressured into selling a stolen van on the eBay Internet sales site.

Durham Crown Court heard that Clifford Crawford went along with the arrangement "without a great deal of enthusiasm".

The vehicle, which belonged to a van hire company, was eventually sold for £800, from which Crawford received only a small payment.

Crawford, of Pateley Moor Crescent, Darlington, admitted handling the stolen Ford Transit van between August 1 and 4, 2003.

He also admitted theft of the £800 from the customer between September 9 and October 31 that year.

Chris Baker, in mitigation, told the court: "It's fair to say the vehicle, which he believed may not have been legitimate, was put into the defendant's possession.

"He was put under pressure by someone far more criminally sophisticated than himself to sell that vehicle.

"Certainly, any benefit gained from this transaction, which wasn't carried out with very much enthusiasm by him, was very small in his case."

Mr Baker said Crawford had previous convictions, but most are dated, and he is now in regular work in France.

Judge John Walford said: "Bearing in mind the time that has gone by since the offending, and the fact he's now in regular work abroad, it makes a community penalty unrealistic.

"Given that this offence was motivated by greed, a financial penalty seems appropriate."

He fined Crawford £1,250, and ordered him to pay £800 compensation to the buyer of the van, and to contribute £356 towards the costs.