A CAIRNS man has been sentenced to an 11 months suspended jail term for his part in the theft of a backhoe almost three years ago.

Father-of-six, Steven James Trout, the brother of Barron River MP Michael Trout, pleaded guilty to the unlawful use of the vehicle on his Kalinga property, near Laura, after it was allegedly stolen from a location in Smithfield in 2009.

The court heard the offence was committed while Trout was on parole and a lengthy drug-related criminal history prompted Chief Judge Patricia Wolfe to hand down a jail sentence.

The court was told he had been released from jail in July 2009 for drug-related crimes and committed the offence sometime between October 28 and December 17 of that year.

She also urged Trout to receive psychiatric help for his drug use.

Steven Trout's brother Luke was also sentenced over the incident in late 2010 and received a $1000 fine.

Steven Trout's sentence was fully suspended and he has been placed on a four-year good behaviour bond.

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