1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162 
Fag thief said he was robbed
Page 9
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• A trucker covered up his involvement in the theft of cigarettes worth nearly £1m by claiming he was robbed as he drove through Cumbria.
Magistrates in Carlisle last week heard how Maine Hart, 39, told detectives he had been the victim of a vicious robbery after parking his £65.000 Daf truck and its load of cigarettes at Southwaite Services on the M6.
He said he was forced to drive to Longtown, north of Carlisle. and then bundled into a car by his abductors, who later
dumped him in Blackburn. His cargo of cigars, cigarettes, and tobacco—worth more than £881,000—vanished.
But Hart. from Crewe, yesterday admitted inventing the story and being paid £70,000 for his part in the plot, but he said he had squandered most of the cash on gambling.
At the city's magistrates court, Hart admitted stealing the truck and its load. Hart, who was granted bail, will be sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court next month.