POLICE caught a thief stealing more than �9,000 worth of large metal rings from a Chatteris manufacturing business in the early hours of yesterday after a member of the public alerted police.

Kieron Russell had tried to run away from an abandoned truck loaded with the stolen goods - and lost his footwear as he tried to escape.

Appearing before a District Judge at Wisbech courthouse today (Tuesday), 19-year-old Russell of Haley Close in Wisbech admitted the theft of metal flanges from Stainless Metalcraft on January 24.

He committed the offence when subject to a curfew and was in breach of a 20-week suspended jail sentence.

Prosecuting, Emma Duckett said: “A witness saw a truck at the premises, and believed a theft was taking place. Police attended and stopped the vehicle, a person was seen leaving the truck, several large metal rings were in the vehicle.”

The 18 stolen items were worth between �500 and �1,000 each, said Miss Duckett.

Mitigating, solicitor David Chapple said Russell had been persuaded to join in the theft by a group of men who arrived at his uncle’s home address.

“He simply went along with what he was asked to do,” said Mr Chapple.

“The fence had already been cut and the rings placed outside; it was his job to load them into the back of the truck.

“The truck set off very rapidly when police arrived, people panicked and abandoned the truck.

“He is a vulnerable young man unable to resist a group of men who persuaded him into this ill conceived venture.”

District Judge Ken Sheraton committed Russell to Cambridge Crown Court for sentence, and remanded him in custody.