AN agricultural contractor falsely claimed to have had a £30,000 tractor stolen when his business hit financial problems, Carlisle Crown Court has heard.

When Keith Almond, 41, of The Meadows, Arnside, reported the “theft” to the police they arrested his “friend and customer” Alan Wilkinson after they found him with the supposedly stolen tractor.

Mr Wilkinson had borrowed the vehicle quite legitimately, but spent several hours in a police cell until his story was found to be true.

In the meantime Almond submitted a claim to his insurers, leading to their spending more than £3,000 investigating it, Mr Lovett said.

Almond, pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud, and was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years and made to do 150 hours unpaid community work.

He was also ordered to pay his insurers, the NFU, £3,400 compensation, with £1,200 court costs.

“It has been an expensive exercise for you,” Judge Peter Hughes QC told him.

Prosecutor Alan Lovett said Almond, who runs a farm machinery repair business as well as an MoT garage that employs three people, admitted making the bogus claim because of money worries.

In mitigation defence advocate Chris Evans said Almond was “deeply ashamed” of doing such a “particularly foolish” thing.

He said Almond had “overstretched himself” in his business and had been working too hard.

“The only holiday he has had was eight years ago,” he said.