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| Ronnie Wallwork jailed for 15 months | |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| A former Manchester United player who was found breaking up stolen car parts at a scrapyard in the city has been jailed for 15 months. | |
| Ronnie Wallwork, 34, from Failsworth, Manchester, pleaded guilty to three counts of receiving stolen goods. | |
| Police stumbled upon Wallwork while investigating unconnected armed robberies across Lancashire. | Police stumbled upon Wallwork while investigating unconnected armed robberies across Lancashire. |
| A judge at Preston Crown Court said he could not agree to the suspended prison term requested by Wallwork's defence. | |
| 'Organisation and sophistication' | |
| Judge Simon Newell told the former England Under-20 international: "These were high-value items that were stolen. | Judge Simon Newell told the former England Under-20 international: "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." | "You provided the facility for that to happen. There was an element of organisation and sophistication in what went on." |
| Detectives chanced on Wallwork at the 10 Arches Scrapyard in Manchester as they looked for a gang of armed criminals who had shot a security guard in Preston. | |
| It emerged Wallwork had sold a Volkswagen Touran engine and parts from a BMW 318i on eBay, and he was observed driving a Mazda Furano into the scrapyard three days after it was stolen from a car dealer. | |
| The three stolen vehicles he was linked to were worth more than £43,000 in total, Preston Crown Court heard. | |
| Wallwork won a Premier League winners' medal in 2001, but next year went to West Bromwich Albion on what Sir Alex Ferguson called the "Bosman of the year" free transfer. | |
| He was West Brom's player of the year in the 2004-5 Premier League season in which they escaped relegation in the last match. | |
| Loan periods at Bradford City, Barnsley and Huddersfield Town followed before he moved to Sheffield Wednesday in 2008 where he made only seven appearances. |