A NEWPORT man was sentenced to 18 months in prison for using a stolen cheque book to buy two cars he saw advertised in the Argus.

Paul Paget, 45, of Corporation Road, was sentenced at Newport crown court for handling a stolen cheque book, two charges of fraud and one charge of making off from a petrol station without payment. He pleaded guilty to all four counts on September 25.

Paget used a stolen cheque book to buy a red Daihatsu he saw advertised in the Argus for £3395 on May 24 this year, and five days later bought a Mercedes Smart car for £4,500. But both cheques bounced, and neither seller could collect their payment.

Paget then drove the Mercedes Smart car to the Midlands where he stopped to fill up with petrol on the M6. When he realised the service station did not accept cheques, he drove off without paying for the fuel worth £41.55.