A MAN accused of a £10,000 Lakes car park ticket machine cash theft has told a jury: "I have never stolen anything in my life."

Harvey Davidson, 30, is on trial at Carlisle Crown Court. He denies stealing almost £10,400 cash from ticket machines at the Grizedale and Whinlatter forest park sites.

This is said to have occurred between October, 2013, and June the following year.

At that time Davidson was employed by the Forestry Commission, which owned all of the ticket machines.

It is alleged by the prosecution that Davidson was the "chief suspect" for thefts which are said to have occurred on almost 40 separate occasions.

This was because he had previously emptied the machines as part of his job, and knew where the "unique" sets of keys which operated each was kept.

On day two of the trial today (Tuesday) jurors were given a breakdown of each alleged theft.

On some of these occasions, the court heard, Davidson's vehicle was logged in the Grizedale area on numberplate recognition equipment.

At a number of other times when money was allegedly stolen, Davidson's mobile phone was said to have been "cell-sited" near the Grizedale and Whinlatter forest sites.

Jurors heard that he was quizzed by police following his arrest in June, 2014.

Davidson admitted he had been shown how to open and empty the machines when that task had been carried out by the Forestry Commission. He had, he admitted, been "quite familiar" with the process.

But at the time of the alleged thefts that job was carried out exclusively by an external contractor. And Davidson told police that as a result "there is no reason for me to touch" the ticket machines. Davidson was asked about cash found by police who searched his home, in June 2014, after his arrest. Officers found £2,350.20 in coins in a bag under his bed. Around £9,000 in notes was found in his briefcase.

Davidson said he was responsible for that money, which had belonged to his late mother. She had died earlier that year.

Davidson, of Portland Square, Workington, gave some evidence to the jury.

His barrister, Philip Andrews, asked whether he had ever stolen money from any ticket machines. Davidson replied: "I can categorically say I have never stolen anything in my life."

The trial continues.