A family firm, who make leather jackets worn by celebrities including Daniel Craig and Johnny Depp, were stunned when they discovered that a former boss had stolen almost £200,000 worth of the merchandise.

 

Jackets made by Aero Leather Clothing were found in an Aladdin's cave of at the terraced Hawick home of the company's former managing director Will Lauder.

The haul was so large that it took police all day to remove the items and officers had to ask for help finding space to store all the evidence.

The items worth £144,000 formed part of one of the biggest theft cases ever to be tried by Edinburgh Sheriff Court, which concluded on Friday after a three week jury trial.

Lauder was found guilty of stealing jackets, jeans and other items estimated to be worth £194,825 from the Borders firm.

The Calder family, who hold the majority of shares in Aero Leather, became concerned about Lauder's management of the company's finances in September 2012.

Acting on a hunch, the firm's founder Ken Calder searched eBay and discovered Lauder had been peddling Aero goods worth £52,000 on the auction website. The 48-year-old MD had pocketed more than £10,000 from his sales - but further investigation by the police revealed that this was only the tip of the iceberg.

Mr Calder, the company's chairman, told the court that he was "devastated" to discover that Lauder, a man he had trusted for 30 years had stolen from the company.

Inverness man Mr Calder said he had taken on Lauder on as a teenager in the mid-80s and mentored him. He described the relationship as like "a younger brother, or a son."

Mr Calder, 69, rose to fame in the 60s and 70s, making clothes for rock royalty including The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and the Faces. When Suzi Quatro made her first appearance on Top of the Pops, it was Calder who suggested and designed her famous leather catsuit.

When he moved from London and set up business in the Borders, he trained local people in cutting and sewing leather jackets. The company's handmade vintage-style leather jackets developed a global reputation, and won a Queens Award for exports.

Celebrity fans include Daniel Craig, Johnny Depp, Puff Daddy and Dave Grohl. The firm's jackets also recently featured in Marvel's Captain America movie.

Mr Calder retired in 2004 and Lauder was made Aero MD. The Calder family believe that Lauder began stealing from the company soon after Mr Calder's retirement to the Highlands, and according to police continued for almost a decade.

When Lauder was confronted with his eBay sales, he initially claimed he had been selling free samples gifted to him by clothing reps, then said the items had "no value" and were damaged or discarded pieces.

During a shareholders meeting held later that day, it was decided to let Lauder hand back his stock and leave the firm without calling the police.

Ken Calder told the court that he came to realise that "the last thing he [Lauder] wanted was the police called in, because he knew what they would find in his house."

Lauder left Aero Leather in 2012 and joined another firm, Alexander Leather, in nearby Selkirk set up by the founder of the shoe chain Schuh

But a dispute over payment of capital gains on Lauder's Aero shares brought a police investigation.

In March 2013, police raided Lauder's home and found items including 159 pairs of premium Levi's and 47 pairs of Lee jeans, worth up to £400 each. Lauder was also in possession of 160 jackets, including 75 leather ones, worth an estimated £600 each.

Lauder was found guilty by a majority verdict. Sentencing was deferred until 29 May.

Sheriff Alistair Noble said that because serious nature of the charge, "all options will be available".

Reacting to the verdict, Mr Calder said he was "delighted with the outcome"