A LIBERAL Democrat polling agent who tried to rig a local election has been jailed for 18 months.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Asif Manzur stole a book of 50 unissued ballot papers from a secure area at the Burnley Boys' Club polling station in the Daneshouse and Stoneyholme ward of the town's borough council.

The candidate Tahir Nawaz didn’t win a seat and Manzur, 35, whose fingerprints were found on three of the fraudulent votes, was arrested.

Manzur, a businessman, admitted conspiring to defraud the returning officer.

The defendant, of Waterbarn Street, Burnley, had no previous convictions. He must pay £670 costs.

Kim Whittlestone, prosecuting, said before the polling station opened at 7am, all the ballot papers were found to be present.

They were in books of 50, running consecutively and only one book was used at any time.

The books not in use were stored in a pile on a chair next to a music centre, away from the public. At about 4.30pm. Manzur asked an official, who knew him, if he could turn on the music centre to listen to the election programme and was allowed in the secure area.

Miss Whittlestone said within half an hour, it was discovered a book of ballot papers was missing.

At the count, the box was emptied and a clerk found 12 votes in a bundle.

They were consecutively numbered and marked in favour of the Liberal Democrat candidate. More papers were discovered similarly bunched.

The prosecutor said the result of the election in that ward was 1,554 votes for the Labour Party, 1,071 for the Lib Dems and 101 for the Conservatives.

Judge Simon Newell said: “When fraud is used for such a purpose, in my opinion a custodial sentence is inevitable. It sends out a message.”