Police feared a stolen lorry could be used in a potential terrorist attack after it smashed through a security barrier.
Peter Willans sparked the concerns as he stole shipping containers filled with used tyres and bin bags worth more than £100,000. The dad-of-two was linked to the crimes because of his tattoo.
Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Friday, that the 35-year-old stole a £10,000 Maritime Transport trailer, a container worth £4,000 and its contents - between £50,000 and £60,000 of used tyres, which were set for export - from the Port of Liverpool at around 2.15pm on January 20 this year. Joanne Moore, prosecuting, described how Willans then took another wagon, a shipping container and its loads of bin bags - valued at a combined £51,500 - from the firm's depot in Trafford Park, Manchester, at roughly 4pm the same day.
