Sentencing, guilty verdict for Pirelli tyre theft pair

One of the three men charged with stealing tyres produced at Pirelli’s Dalston Road factory in Carlisle has been found guilty of theft, while an accomplice was handed a two-year community order for his involvement.

Mark Claxton, who pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit theft in August 2015, avoided a prison term thanks to his cooperation in the prosecution of co-conspirator Graham Wait; Claxton is said to have personally gained around £14,000 from the sale of stolen Pirelli tyres on eBay.

Wait, who denied any wrongdoing or involvement in the tyre theft conspiracy, was found guilty by Carlisle Crown Court on 5 February. He will be sentenced in April.