Jail for thief who had 'Aladdin's cave' of stolen items

An unemployed thief who stole more than £3,500 worth of goods before re-selling them on Facebook has been jailed. 

Police raided Mark Hughes' flat on December 5th where they found an 'Aladdin's cave' - with items stored in 'every conceivable location' including under the Christmas tree. 

The 34-year-old from Douglas later pleaded guilty to eight counts of theft and possession of criminal property - he was sentenced at Douglas Courthouse last week.

Between October and December last year Hughes went on a shoplifting rampage around the Isle of Man stealing almost 300 items including children's toys and homeware goods. 

He then advertised them on social media sites at knockdown prices in a bid to attract customers in the run up to Christmas - he delivered them in black bin bags in return for cash. 

Hughes was caught out when staff at NeverNever Land at Tynwald Mills - from which Hughes had plundered almost 50 toys worth over £2,000 - spotted some of the missing items on Facebook. 

He was arrested, and after skipping bail and being repatriated to the Island, admitted the offences saying he'd been going through a 'financially difficult time' and had got 'carried away'. 

Sentencing him to 12 months custody Deemster Montgomerie told him for his family's sake "you must make sure this offending never happens again".