AN alleged scam to steal the number off David Beckham's back was exposed at court yesterday.

Mark Donnelly, 38, and his wife, Carole, 42, of Gardeners Place, Langley Moor, County Durham, and their friend, Jacqueline Mallon, 44, of Elm Terrace, Wallsend, north Tyneside, all denied stealing more than £10,000- worth of names and numbers to be used on replica England football kits.

A jury at Newcastle Crown Court heard they had distributed adhesive football shirt names and numbers that belonged to Metro Sport Limited of Benton, Newcastle.

The company owned a franchise to distribute the numbers as official Football Association merchandise.

It was a lucrative business, which the Donnellys and Ms Mallon exploited by sending boxloads of merchandise which had not been paid for, to Mrs Donnelly's sister in Australia, the court heard.

Ian Graham, prosecuting, said: "It is perhaps very topical that we should be dealing with this case during Euro 2004, being as the sort of thing we are thinking about is the number 7 of David Beckham or, closer to home, the number 9 of Alan Shearer."

Mr Graham said Mr Donnelly was closely involved in the management of Metro Sport, and Mrs Donnelly and Ms Mallon were office workers. During the summer of 2002, Metro Sport sold a consignment of shirt numbers and names to Carole Donnelly's sister's business in Australia, but the bill was never paid.

Metro Sport decided it would not trade with the Australian business until the bill was settled, but a further 32 consignments were sent, which did not go through the books, the court was told.

The trial continues.