A businessman has avoided prison for handling a stolen vehicle which was found at his Workington garage.

Daniel Harker, 30, was arrested less than an hour after the Ford flat-bed truck was recovered from a locked compound at Adams Road on July 15 last year.

Harker denied knowing that it had been taken illegally shortly.

But after a trial at Carlisle Crown Court he was unanimously convicted of handling stolen goods.

A jury had heard that the truck's owner followed a tracking device after learning it had been stolen from Poole Road in Salterbeck.

Police arrived at the business, known as Dan's Garage, minutes after the theft was reported. They located the vehicle inside.

Harker was arrested less than an hour later. He initially claimed he had seen no such truck that day.

In court he changed his story, saying an unidentified customer had brought it for him to work on.

He was sentenced for the crime on Friday.

Judge Peter Davies said: "The defence that you put forward didn't bear any scrutiny, and you know that."

Harker, of Milburn Street, was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He must complete 180 hours' unpaid work and pay £2,000 costs.

Harker's not guilty plea had resulted in a trial which also involved three other males - two of them youths.

All were ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing.

The judge said: "You should be ashamed of that, Mr Harker, protecting yourself to put others in danger."