A SERIAL criminal was jailed for 14 months after he admitted charges of handling stolen goods and driving with no insurance while disqualified.

Darren Gartell, aged 32, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to the charges at a preliminary hearing at Bolton Crown Court yesterday.

Gartell bought a 57-plate Volkswagen Golf, which had been damaged in an accident, for £1,500 between November 22 and December 17.

He admitted buying the car in Bolton, where he was visiting family, despite knowing that information on the tax disc did not match the car.

The court heard that Gartell, who has several previous convictions, thought he could make a quick profit by selling the car on after repairing it, despite him being disqualified from driving.

The court was told that Gartell’s record has improved while he was working as a scaffolder, but this work was affected by a car accident earlier this year in which Gartell badly injured his knee.

Judge Timothy Clayson sentenced him to 12 months for receiving the stolen car and two months for driving while disqualified, with the terms to run consecutively.

Gartell was given a one-third discount for pleading guilty at the earliest possible opportunity and will serve half of his 14-month sentence on licence.