Men sentenced over £250k Scunthorpe factory theft

The thefts took place at the Scunthorpe steelworks between 2012 and 2014

Two men who stole more than £230,000 of bearings from a factory have been given suspended sentences.

Mark Elston, 48, and his friend Tim Barry, 49, stole the machine parts from Tata Steel's Scunthorpe plant over the course of two years.

Hull Crown Court heard Elston used his position as a manager at the firm to generate fake orders for the bearings, which were later picked up by Barry.

The pair pleaded guilty to three counts of theft at previous hearings.

Elston received a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years and Barry, of Newton Aycliffe, Durham, a 14-month term also suspended for two years.

Sheer greed

Prosecutors said more than 660 bearings worth about £233,000 were stolen between July 2012 and November 2014 and sold on, with Elston and Barry splitting the proceeds equally.

Jeremy Evans, from the Crown Prosecution Service, described Elston, of Messingham, North Lincolnshire, as "a classic example of a serious white collar criminal".

"His motive was sheer greed," said Mr Evans.

"He sought to boost an already generous income with carefully planned criminality, in order to support a high-end lifestyle."

Tata Steel sold the factory in 2016 to a UK-based investment firm, which has renamed the company British Steel.