Judge finishes hearing evidence in Stobart Group High Court battle

A boardroom battle featuring bosses at a multimillion pound infrastructure business which started up in an isolated Lake District village half a century ago has been played out at the High Court in London.

Bosses at the Stobart Group, which began life when Eddie Stobart went into business as an agricultural contractor in Hesket Newmarket, Cumbria, during the 1960s, have sued former chief executive Andrew Tinkler.

They say Mr Tinkler conspired with other businessmen to harm the company’s interests, made claims about expenses, and want a judge to rule that he was lawfully dismissed.

Mr Tinkler, a former cabinet-maker who was chief executive of the business between 2007 and 2017, has denied wrongdoing, says he was removed for no good reason, and has counter-claimed.

Judge Jonathan Russen began overseeing a trial earlier this month and finished hearing evidence on Friday.

Lawyers are due to return to court on Thursday to make final legal submissions.