A pair of thieves who stole £76,000 worth of jewellery from a store on board a luxury cruise ship and stuffed it down their pants have been spared jail.
Gary Cooper and Benjamin Greenwood boarded the vessel when they targeted an unmanned shop in the ship’s state-of-the-art galleria.
The MSC Virtuosa – which offers guests trips to destinations like the Caribbean – was docked at Southampton, Hampshire, where they enjoy unlimited booze on offer as part of their drinks package.
Greenwood, 33, stole eight rings and two necklaces, while Cooper, 30, stood guard, a court heard.
After both admitting theft, the pair avoided prison for their ‘impulsive theft’ but were ordered to carry out 270 hours of community work.
Gary Cooper and Benjamin Greenwood stole £75,000 worth of jewellery from a store on board a cruise ship and smuggled it out by stuffing it in their pants – but have been spared jail
Southampton Crown Court heard the offence took place on March 31 last year as other passengers walked by.
The pair were spotted bundling the jewels into their underwear.
Prosecutor Siobhan Linsley said when the ‘extremely drunk’ men were tracked down, they became ‘physically aggressive’ meaning they had to be constrained and handcuffed by security.
With the ship set to depart, there was not time to review CCTV and speak to witnesses, meaning the stolen goods weren’t recovered, she said.
‘There was dissatisfaction from security on the searches,’ Ms Linsley said.
Cooper, of Chichester, West Sussex, later handed himself at the city’s police station, while fellow resident Greenwood, was arrested at Gatwick Airport.
Greenwood handed in three rings and a necklace worth around £18,500, the court heard.
Cooper admitted to selling some of the items – resulting in £50,000 of jewellery still unaccounted for.
In mitigation, Rob Harding said the two realised what they did was ‘foolish’ and ‘stupid’.
‘The problem seems to be alcohol,’ he said.
The pair boarded the MSC Virtuosa while it was docked at Southampton on March 31 last year and stole eight rings and two necklaces (file photo)
He added 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.
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.
He added that a custodial sentence would have a ‘harmful impact’ on their children.
They were handed 15 months prison sentences suspended for two years, and told to carry out 270 hours of community work.
