Two MSC Virtuosa passengers escaped a jail sentence last week after pleading guilty to stealing £76,000 of jewellery from an onboard store.
Gary Cooper, aged 30, and Benjamin Greenwood, 33, stuffed the items they grabbed from Effy Jewellery down their pants, according to the Southern Daily Echo.
Southampton Crown Court heard that that the pair had been drinking since boarding the ship in Southampton just after midday on 31 March 2023 when they decided to walk into the unmanned store four hours later and steal eight rings and two necklaces.
Once staff discovered the thefts, which had happened while the ship was still docked, they examined CCTV footage which showed the men putting the jewels into their underwear.
The men were tracked down to different bars and arrested by security and escorted off the ship, but the jewellery wasn’t found because the Virtuosa was about to depart so there was no time for a thorough search, the court was told.
Cooper, of Bradshaw Road in Chichester, West Sussex, later handed himself in at a police station in Chichester, while Greenwood, of Shelby Drive in Chichester, was arrested at Gatwick Airport. Greenwood handed in three rings and a necklace worth around £18,500, the court heard, but Cooper said he had already sold some of the items.
In court, Defence Counsel Rob Harding said the two realised what they did was ‘foolish and ‘stupid’. He said: “The problem seems to be alcohol. Given the lack of previous convictions, these are not defendants who have an approach to criminality.”
Sentencing, Judge Rowland recognised that the offences were ‘out of character’ and that there was a chance of rehabilitation.
He added that a custodial sentence would have a ‘harmful impact’ on children.
They were given 15 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 270 hours of community work.
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Gary Cooper, aged 30, and Benjamin Greenwood, 33, stuffed the items they grabbed from Effy Jewellery down their pants, according to the Southern Daily Echo.
Southampton Crown Court heard that that the pair had been drinking since boarding the ship in Southampton just after midday on 31 March 2023 when they decided to walk into the unmanned store four hours later and steal eight rings and two necklaces.
Once staff discovered the thefts, which had happened while the ship was still docked, they examined CCTV footage which showed the men putting the jewels into their underwear.
The men were tracked down to different bars and arrested by security and escorted off the ship, but the jewellery wasn’t found because the Virtuosa was about to depart so there was no time for a thorough search, the court was told.
Cooper, of Bradshaw Road in Chichester, West Sussex, later handed himself in at a police station in Chichester, while Greenwood, of Shelby Drive in Chichester, was arrested at Gatwick Airport. Greenwood handed in three rings and a necklace worth around £18,500, the court heard, but Cooper said he had already sold some of the items.
In court, Defence Counsel Rob Harding said the two realised what they did was ‘foolish and ‘stupid’. He said: “The problem seems to be alcohol. Given the lack of previous convictions, these are not defendants who have an approach to criminality.”
Sentencing, Judge Rowland recognised that the offences were ‘out of character’ and that there was a chance of rehabilitation.
He added that a custodial sentence would have a ‘harmful impact’ on children.
They were given 15 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 270 hours of community work.
The post Drunk MSC Virtuosa passengers escaped with stolen gems stuffed down pants, court told appeared first on Travel Gossip.
Continue reading...
