Two members of a gang involved in a £75,000 raid, in which a lorryload of sweets and cakes were stolen, have been found guilty.

Three other men pleaded guilty before the trial began at Worcester Crown Court and another man is still on the run from police.

A jury convicted Michael Aplin of burglary and 17-year-old college student Dean Clayton of handling stolen goods from the break-in at Gordon Chance's garage in Meadow View, Upton Warren.

Prosecutor Nicolas Cartwright described Aplin, of Sandon Road, Erdington, Birmingham, as "a professional thief and burglar" who had 143 previous convictions.

Judge Andrew Geddes remanded 50-year-old Aplin in custody and gave Clayton, of Shaw Road, Tipton, bail while pre-sentence reports are prepared. The gang will be sentenced next month.

The Daf lorry, worth £26,000 and containing the confectionery, was stolen in the overnight raid on August 24, 2002, and left burned out in Oldbury.

Police searched a house in Junction Street, Oldbury, and found some of the stolen goods hidden under a mattress. Clayton was living there at the time.

Mr Chance, who also lost tools worth £30,000 in the burglary, told police the gang broke into most of the vehicles his firm was servicing and caused substantial damage.

The food, valued at over £4,000, belonged to Bobby's Foods, of Saxon Park, Stoke Prior. Only items worth £250 were recovered.

Mr Cartwright told the jury that Aplin and three other men were stopped by police in a car two nights before the break-in as they searched for premises to burgle. In the Vauxhall Astra was a lumphammer used to get into the garage.

Aplin's footprints were found at the burglary scene. He lied that he bought a pair of trainers from a burglar after the raid.

The court heard that Clayton now lived with his mother and had police cautions for theft and deception. He claimed that stolen sweets and tools he bought for £10 came from a car boot sale.