A CRIMINALS' confederate caught with a valuable Rolex watch within two days of it being stolen in an armed robbery in Bradford has been jailed for handling.

Leeds Crown Court heard the woman's watch, valued at more than £35,000, was among jewellery taken in a raid at a house in Rooks Close, Wyke, on January 5.

Armed and masked men had burst into the property and jewellery in excess of £200,000 and a car was stolen.

John Bull, prosecuting, said on July 7 officers detained Zafar Iqbal at his home address in Clipstone Street, Marshfields, Bradford, and the watch was found in a storage unit in a bedroom

When he was interviewed he did not answer questions but gave a prepared statement in which he said he had handed it by another man he had known for some years and would not expect it to have been stolen.

But a probation officer told the court Iqbal now accepted he had been asked to get a value for the watch and had agreed in a “spur of the moment decision”.

Nicholas de la Poer, representing Iqbal, said he recognised from the circumstances in which he was approached “something must be wrong with it”.

“He was told if it turned out to be valuable he would get a couple of hundred pounds for his trouble.”

He said Iqbal had the offer of employment and was anxious to return to his family if he was given a chance.

”He is genuinely remorseful,” Mr de la Poer told the court today.

Iqbal, 39, admitted handling the stolen watch and was jailed for 18 months.

Sentencing him, Judge Rob Mairs said the watch had been taken in a “fairly vicious robbery in the victim's own home by a gang of armed and masked men.”

“Within 48 hours this watch was in your possession. You say you were asked by someone to value the watch, only those trusted by their criminal confederates would be given items of this value to handle. You were obviously so trusted by others.”

He said Iqbal’s position was aggravated by his previous convictions which included dishonesty and drugs offences from which he had been on licence at the time.