The theft was discovered after eBay customers called the British Ministry of Defence to check the devices’ authenticity
British military courts found a Royal Navy sailor guilty for selling and stealing diver watches online.
Prosecutors revealed during hearings at the Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire (England), that Able Seaman Joshua Cheetham stole several elite commando watches while he was working as a merchant on HMS Kent, Portsmouth.
Later he managed to sell six of the watches, which can work at a depth of 300 meters, reportedly for a total of more than £1,600. According to Cheetham’s lawyer Helen Easterbrook, quoted by the Daily Mail, he sold the watches in an effort to cover debts which were racking up, as he had lived “He is not within his means.”
“The situation was so bad that he made an extremely poor decision.” Easterbrook added.
Cheetham’s actions were uncovered in February 2021, approximately six months after the first offense, when eBay customers started contacting the defense ministry in a bid to verify the watches.
Sentencing Cheetham, Judge Robert Hill said that the sailor abused “Trust is a place of strength” and that his crime was so serious that dismissal was “Inevitable.”
Cheetham received a three month custodial sentence.
This story can be shared on social media
[ad_2]
