An antiques dealer has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after a jury convicted him of handling stolen goods.

Baildon-based dealer David Shaw shook his head as the jury returned their 11-1 majority verdict after a trial at Bradford Crown Court.

The prosecution had alleged that 55-year-old Shaw had been involved in selling on paintings, furniture and other property which had been stolen in a house burglary in Norfolk in October 1999.

The stolen antiques included an oil painting of a sailing ship by the artist Montagu Dawson, which eventually ended up at a Sotheby's sale, valued at up to £60,000.

Shaw, of Hoyle Court Road, Baildon, accepted buying the items from 50-year-old William Halford, but denied knowing or believing they were stolen.

After the jury returned their guilty verdict Shaw's barrister Simon Phillips stressed he was a family man with a hitherto unblemished character.

He pointed out that prosecution witnesses had spoken about Shaw's standing in the antiques profession and he urged the court to deal with him on the basis that the offending was an "isolated combination of dealings'' and wholly uncharacteristic.

But Judge Angela Finnerty said there were aggravating features to the case, including the fact that Shaw had lied to the police.

The jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict in the case of Halford, who also denied the same charge of handling stolen goods. Halford, of Ada Street, Saltaire, said he was working temporarily at a second-hand shop when a man called "Paul'' had asked him if he was interested in buying the items, which he said were part of a house clearance.

He said he contacted Shaw about the property and also told him about "Paul'' - a version of events which Shaw disputed during the trial.

Sentence on Halford was adjourned for reports, including a medical one.