A BOLTON father has been jailed for 18 months after admitting helping to distribute more than £400,000 worth of chocolate stolen in a lorry hijack.

Preston Crown court was told how two security guards at a Skelmersdale distribution centre were ambushed by masked robbers, bungled into vehicles, taken to a field and held for five hours.

An HGV driver was also detained and the raiders took articulated trailers containing £400,000 worth of Cadbury's chocolate.

The chocolate were stolen from trailers at Great Bear Distribution Centre, Skelmersdale, and then went on to be transferred to the premises of a firm in Bolton where Mohammed Dad was a customer.

A lorry load of chocolate was later intercepted in the Edmonton area of London.

Dad, aged 35, of Gibraltar Street, Bolton, admitted conspiracy to handle stolen goods.

The court heard that his role began after the robbery was completed.

He was jailed for eighteen months.

David Jones, defending, said Dad had pleaded guilty and was unaware that the goods had come from a robbery. He said Dad undertook a foolish role in storing these goods for a short period. The court heard that Dad's seven-year-old son had health problems and that he had raised £34,000 for an earthquake appeal.

Paul Lee, aged 30, of Nicholas Road, Crosby, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob and transferring criminal property. He was described by the prosecution as the "prime mover" and was given a total of seven years imprisonment. Steven Dair, aged 35, of Budworth Avenue, Warrington admitted conspiracy to handle stolen goods and other offences. He agreed to act as a back- up driver. He was jailed for three years and eleven months.

Judge Pamela Badley said: "Each of you were not alone in the arrangements that you made. There were others who were engaged in this conspiracy to rob, that is apparent and there may be some others who were more involved."