Shropshire men cleared of £8m music conspiracy

Two men from Shropshire were today cleared of being part of a multi-million pound plot to defraud major music industry companies.

Cary Evans, 49, and Shaun Norton, 38, were found not guilty of being involved in a five-year conspiracy which netted an estimated £8 million.

Two others, 55-year-old Stephen Payne and 52-year-old Michael Clent, were convicted of the conspiracy at Wolverhampton Crown Court today after a nine-week trial.

Judge Jonathan Gosling adjourned sentence pending the trials of two other people on conspiracy and false accounting charges.

Evans, of Longfield Terrace, Minsterley, near Shrewsbury, Norton, of Powell Place, Newport, Clent, of Tenbury Wells and Payne of, of Tetbury, Gloucestershire, had all denied conspiring with two other men to defraud the music companies between January, 2001, and December, 2006.

All four were said to have had links with Newport Plastics Recycling Ltd in Audley Avenue, Newport, and/or another company, Xylo Ltd in Gloucestershire.

Several music companies including Universal, EMI, Telstar and Sony, had sent discs to be destroyed and recycled and turned into plastic garden furniture.

But, during Operation Vine, West Mercia detectives, based at Telford, discovered five barns at two Shropshire farms stacked with pallet loads of CDs and DVDs ready to be sold on.

See also:

• Ex-worker: I played no role in £8m CD fraud plot

• Boss denies role in CDs fraud plot

• Shropshire pair deny part in alleged £8m CD fraud conspiracy