Cruise ship drunks stole jewellery worth £76k and stuffed it down their trousers, court hears
A pair of drunk thieves stole £76,000 worth of jewellery from a shop on a luxury cruise ship by stuffing it down their trousers, a court heard.
Gary Cooper and Benjamin Greenwood, whose drinks package included unlimited alcohol, had been aboard the MSC Virtuosa, which was docked in Southampton, for only four hours when they targeted an unmanned shop in the ship’s galleria.
Southampton Crown Court was told that Greenwood, 33, stole eight rings and two necklaces while Cooper, 30, stood guard on March 31 last year.
Bundling the jewels into their underwear
As other passengers walked by, the pair, who are both from Chichester, West Sussex, were spotted bundling the jewels into their underwear.
Siobhan Linsley, the prosecutor, said when the “extremely drunk” men were tracked down, they became “physically aggressive” and had to be handcuffed by security.
With the ship set to depart, she said, there was no time to review CCTV and speak to witnesses, which meant the stolen goods were not recovered.
Arrested at Gatwick Airport
Cooper later handed himself in at the city’s police station and Greenwood was arrested at Gatwick Airport.
Greenwood handed in three rings and a necklace worth around £18,500, the court heard. Cooper admitted selling some of the items - resulting in £50,000 of jewellery still unaccounted for.
After both admitting the crime, the pair avoided prison for their “impulsive theft” but were ordered to carry out 270 hours of community work.
‘The problem seems to be alcohol’
In mitigation, Rob Harding said the two realised what they did was “foolish” and “stupid”, adding: “The problem seems to be alcohol.”
He told the court that it “must have been apparent they were drunk” and called it a “recipe for disaster”.
“They accept they have done something which is very, very wrong and they must be punished,” he added.
‘Out of character’
Addressing the pair in the dock, Judge Nicholas Rowland said: “This was an impulsive theft in an unattended shop.
“You had only been on the ship for four hours.”
He recognised that the offences were “out of character” and that there was a chance of rehabilitation, adding that a custodial sentence would have a “harmful impact” on their children.
They were both sentenced to 15 months in prison, suspended for two years, and told to carry out 270 hours of community work.