TWO warehouse managers have been jailed for their role in an £85,000 raid on a brandy lorry in Hampshire.

Gary Ford, 41, and Robert Hickey, 36, are today behind bars for being part of a gang that kidnapped a French driver at Sutton Scotney services on the A34 near Winchester and stole his consignment of Courvoisier cognac.

Ford received four years for conspiracy to steal and Hickey two years for handling. Both admitted the charges.

The men, from Netherton, Merseyside, were sentenced at Winchester Crown Court.

Four other men, Dean Swanson, John Moorcroft, Michael Slinger and Barry Adams, were imprisoned for a total of 24 years in connection with the same raid, as reported in Monday's Daily Echo.

Mitigating for Ford, Roderick Carus QC, said he was a man of good character and not a master criminal or the organiser of this operation.

David McLachlan, for Hickey, said he had a limited role in the operation and no knowledge of the other actions in the crime.

Sentencing, Judge Patrick Hooton said: "The fact is if there's not someone who takes delivery of something that's stolen, people don't get away with it. The whole scheme falls down."

For the full story see today's Southern Daily Echo.