A businessman is facing jail for committing three crimes relating to the mystery disappearance of a Ford Transit van.

Jurors at Carlisle Crown Court found 38-year-old Darren Connell unanimously guilty of stealing the vehicle after a trial lasting three days.

They also concluded he committed fraud by telling his insurer that the van - hired from Hertz in 2012 - had been stolen; and that he perverted the course of justice by telling the same story to police. He had stated to an officer he did not know the whereabouts of the Transit, which was never again seen in one piece.

But jurors heard that when police raided delivery firm director Connell's farm base in the Scottish Borders, in 2014, they found several parts from the vehicle stored in a container.

Recorder Julian Shaw adjourned the case for the preparation of a pre-sentence report. Connell, of Liddle Road, Longtown, is due to receive his punishment in late November.

But he was warned that all sentencing options, including custody, were open.