A man has been sentenced for a theft police originally said they were "too busy" to look into.

Jack Whiteley, 69, supplied police with super-sharp images of the culprits making off with the 160 chairs three days in a row from Glencrest Seatex Ltd, in Leigh, and even got the van’s licence plate.

His story hit the headlines when he received a letter from police saying they didn't have the time to look into the case.

Essex Police has today announced a man has been sentenced for the theft.

William Coffey, 33, of Raleigh Drive, Laindon, pleaded guilty at Southend Crown Court on Tuesday, February 27, and received a 12-month community order and 150 hours unpaid work.

Coffey and Donna Meredith, 33, also of Raleigh Drive, Laindon, were seen on CCTV at around 7.10pm on Saturday, August 26, loading the chairs into a van before driving away from the scene.

Officers arrested them both on Monday, September 11, before recovering most of the chairs, which had a total estimated worth of £8,500.

DCI Neil Pudney said: “After reviewing CCTV at the scene we quickly identified two people and made arrests that same day. We also recovered most of the chairs and returned them to the victim.

“Coffey this week admitted the offence and has been sentenced while the Crown Prosecution Service agreed to discontinue the case against Miss Meredith.

“I would like to thank the victim for his patience and I hope this sentence offers him some justice.”