A man who was a passenger in a stolen vehicle has been sentenced to 140 hours of community service.

Dean Thomas John Costain-Quirk, of The Promenade, Castletown, admitted offences of allowing himself to be a passenger in a vehicle taken without consent and handling stolen goods.

We previously reported how, on March 5, police were called to Church View in Braddan after a woman reported that her son’s car had been stolen from her garage.

The keys were left in the ignition but the garage’s electric doors had been lifted during the night.

Another vehicle in the garage had also been entered and two jackets taken from it.

Information led police to Costain-Quirk’s address where both jackets were found.

He was arrested with another man and the stolen car was found abandoned at the rear of Laureston Avenue in Douglas.

Forensic evidence linked Costain-Quirk to the car and the Church View address.

A basis of plea was entered in the court in which Costain-Quirk, aged 24, said he had been with a friend in Church View.

He said the friend asked him to wait for him while he went to visit his girlfriend.

The man returned with a car which Costain-Quirk said he assumed belonged to the woman.

Costain-Quirk said he only became aware the car was stolen after a couple of hours.

He admitted his friend had brought the jackets into his home and he had assumed they were stolen but had not touched them himself.

A probation report, a psychiatric report, and a report from the Drug and Alcohol Team were prepared and considered before sentencing.

The probation report recommended a community service order as the most appropriate form of sentence.

Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes said the reports had referred to Costain-Quirk’s ’troubled background’.

She said: ’These are your first convictions and hopefully they are your last.’

Mrs Hughes went on to say that Costain-Quirk should be grateful to his family who had been supportive throughout proceedings.

He was also ordered to pay £125 prosecution costs.