Former Man U player jailed
Former Manchester United and West Brom midfielder Ronnie Wallwork was sentenced to 15 months in jail on Monday for selling on parts from stolen cars.
The 34-year-old – who was stabbed several times in a Manchester bar five years ago – pleaded guilty to three counts of handling stolen goods.
His illegal vehicle-breaking operation was discovered by police as they were investigating unconnected armed robberies across Lancashire.
He had sold a Volkswagen Touran engine and parts from a BMW 318i on eBay, while he was seen driving a Mazda Furano into the scrapyard three days after it was stolen.
The three stolen vehicles were worth more than £43 000 in total.
Sentencing him, Judge Simon Newell said he could not agree with the defence barrister’s request to impose a suspended jail term.
He said: “These were high-value items that were stolen.
“It seems to me they were taken in a professional and sophisticated way. It also seems clear to me that they were taken to go into the black market either to be sold on or broken down and sold on.
“You provided the facility for that to happen. There was an element of organisation and sophistication in what went on.”
Wallwork joined United as a trainee in 1993 but struggled to command a first-team place and moved on a free transfer to West Brom in 2002.
Wallwork was the Baggies’ player of the year and helped keep West Brom in the Premiership in 2004-2005.
He made 28 appearances for United between 1994 and 2002 and made the headlines in 1999 while on loan at Belgium’s Royal Antwerp.
Wallwork was handed a life ban in Belgium by the country’s football union for manhandling a referee, reduced on appeal to three years, two of them suspended. He was reported to have grabbed referee Amand Ancion by the throat. — Staff reporter, SportsCentral
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