A teenager who stole around £2,400 worth of goods from a garage has avoided a jail sentence and having to make compensation payments to the victim.

Sam Rainbow, 18, stole the items from a garage in Upper Avenue, Istead Rise, in June.

With the help of 18-year-old Jack Harman, five mountain bikes, a set of golf clubs and various tools including a chop saw, strimmer, lawnmower, angle grinder and drills were taken.

They stole more power tools from another garage in Davis Avenue, Northfleet, on July 9.

Both teenagers admitted the two charges before Dartford magistrates on September 2.

Sentencing was adjourned until this week.

During the September hearing, Rainbow’s defence lawyer James McCooney claimed an order to pay compensation to the victim would be “inappropriate” as “unless they were utterly oblivious to insurance, they would have been insured”.

When it came to Rainbow’s sentencing hearing on Monday, whether or not the victims were insured remained unconfirmed. None of the items have been recovered.

Katherine Tuthill, for Rainbow, said he sold all the items for “substantially less than they were worth”, but he could not give an estimate of that figure.

The court heard Rainbow had been kicked out of his family home, and other relatives refused to take him in.

He was now living with his pregnant girlfriend and her family in Lyndhurst Way, Istead Rise.

Rainbow was given a 20-week custodial sentence suspended for two years, 300 hours of unpaid work and a curfew from 7pm-6am until January 23. He was also ordered to pay £85 in court costs and a £85 victim surcharge.

On Tuesday Harman appeared before District Judge Michael Kelly at Dartford Magistrates Court for sentencing.

Joanna Lawrence, representing him, said: “Jack doesn’t seek to apportion blame solely on to Mr Rainbow, but he does accept that the two of them together is simply bad news.

“Since his last appearance in court Jack has taken every step to stay away from Sam Rainbow and turn his life around.”

Harman, of Lawrence Square in Haynes Road, Northfleet, also claimed he only stole one bike during the burglaries.

Judge Kelly added: “I’m not sure why a compensation order wasn’t imposed on Rainbow, but I do not see why the victim should suffer because of the boys’ actions.”

He ordered Harman, who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome, to pay £300 compensation to the victim for the bike as well as £85 in costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

He was also given a rehabilitation order to work with police at an attendance centre in Rochester on Saturday mornings in three-hour stints, until he has completed 24 hours within a three-month period.

A three month supervision order was also placed on him.