A CORNER shop owner at the centre of a conspiracy to steal soft drinks from Coca-Cola has been jailed.

Ajmail Singh Sahota, aged 34, of London Road, Crayford, also known as AJ, used employees at the Coca-Cola Enterprises factory in Cray Road, Foots Cray, to supply him with thousands of pounds worth of stolen soft drinks.

Sahota, the owner of AJ and Sons, an off licence in Bridge Road, Slade Green, changed his plea to guilty to a charge of conspiracy to steal 30 pallets of soft drinks with a total minimum retail value of £30,000 between June and September last year, just as his trial at Woolwich Crown Court was due to begin.

Seven other men, who all worked at Coca-Cola, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal.

They were Tony Carberry, aged 32, a warehouseman of Pembroke Road, Erith; Tony Camps, aged 23, a warehouseman of Hengist Road, Northumberland Heath; John Harknett, aged 46, a lorry driver of Broadoak Road, Erith; Alan Murphy, aged 42, a lorry driver from Rotherhithe; John Haskins, aged 51, a lorry driver of Crofton Lane, Orpington; Robert Nunn, aged 55, a lorry driver from Coulsdon and David Ryan, aged 38, a lorry driver from Ashford.

An eighth man, ware- houseman Gavin Hills, aged 30, of Langlands Drive, Darenth, was found not guilty.

Officers from the North End ward safer neighbourhoods team were tipped off about a large amount of soft drinks being delivered from Coca-Cola to the shop, sometimes up to two deliveries a day, the court heard.

They began a surveillance operation which eventually led to a series of arrests.

Ajmail Sahota, with Amdeep Bains, aged 36, from Leicester, was also convicted of assault against a mentally ill man outside his shop, in February 2006.

A third man, Dermeet Singh Sahota, aged 24, of Northend Road, Erith, pleaded guilty to the assault.

Amjail Sahota, who was also convicted of intimidating a witness who gave evidence against him about the assault and the soft drink theft, was sentenced to a total of 33 months in jail.

Bains was sentenced to 21 months and Dermeet Sahota to one year, both for assault.

Carberry was jailed for nine months; Camps was sentenced to nine months' jail, suspended for two years, with 300 hours of community service.

Harknett was given seven months' jail, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 250 hours' community service.

Murphy was given a six-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, and 250 hours' community service.

Haskins was sentenced to four months in jail, suspended for two years, with 250 hours' community service.

Nunn got two months in jail, suspended for two years, and 200 hours of community service, and Ryan was given a two-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, and 150 hours' community service.

Ross McKibbins, sergeant of the safer neighbourhood team, said the sentences reflected the hard work put into the case by neighbourhood policing teams.



FACTORY KNEW STOCK WAS MISSING

TEAM leader Sergeant Ross McKibbins explained Coca-Cola was aware it was missing stock from its Cray Road factory.

It had lost £40,000 worth of drinks last year and £60,000 worth in 2005.

He said lorries left the factory in 12 pallet loads, but the guilty men had packed orders into 10 pallets, leaving space for two extra pallets, which were then delivered to Ajmail Sahota's shop.

He said since the conspiracy came to light, Coca-Cola had tightened its procedures, both in the warehouse and in its transport fleet.

Sgt McKibbins said the pallets, worth £500 each to Coca-Cola, were then sold to Sahota for £300, with the seven Coca-Cola employees sharing the cash.

By splitting up the pallet contents, Sahota could then sell the bottles of drink individually, making up to £15,000 per pallet.