A Tauranga man who stole another man's beloved caravan has been sentenced to 11 months in jail.

Mitchell Harrison Britt, 24, appeared for sentencing in Tauranga District Court this morning after pleading guilty to four charges of theft, one of burglary and one of receiving stolen property at an earlier appearance.

Jonas Ruf's Pixie 10 caravan has since been returned to him.

Britt was arrested for the theft of Jonas Ruf's Pixie 10 caravan sometime between February 23 and February 24.

CCTV footage showed a white flat-deck ute towing the caravan through the intersection of Ocean Beach Road and Golf Road towards Papamoa.

The caravan was recovered soon after at a storage unit in Papamoa East.

During his last court appearance, Judge Christopher Harding said Britt had attempted to repaint the caravan so he and his partner could live in it at a caravan park.

The other charges relate to when Britt stole 21 crates of alcohol from the Commercial Hotel in Waihi and later sold them to another liquor store.

He also stole a trailer, valued at $2500, from a property in Whakamarama and a tandem trailer from a Tauranga property in February.

Defence lawyer Rita Nabney told the courts that 12 months ago, Britt was assaulted while in custody in Rotorua and had his eye socket badly damaged.

'His time in the cells had been very traumatic and has left him suffering physically and psychologically,” said Rita.