A man has been jailed for three years for plotting to "nobble" a Carlisle Crown Court jury.

William Liversage, 50, used a covert camera disguised as a mobile phone to film court proceedings during a 2014 drugs trial in the city involving his son.

Police who arrested Liversage as he drove away from the hearing found the device and other recording equipment in his van.

Liversage was found to have captured footage in and around the Earl Street court building, and in the courtroom itself. Several jurors were featured.

He denied a charge of doing an act intended to pervert the course of justice.

Liversage claimed he acted out of "stupidity" while innocently testing an on-loan gadget as part of his surveillance "hobby".

But after a trial at the crown court he was today found unanimously guilty of the offence. Jurors in this case heard claims he was planning to "nobble" the drugs trial jury.

Referring to the secret camera Judge Barbara Forrester told Liversage, of Conway Street, Birkenhead: "You presumably hoped it could give you information that could help you identify a juror."