Sailor who sold stolen SBS watches on eBay sent to jail
A ROYAL Navy sailor has been jailed for stealing specialist diver watches used by SBS commandos to sell online and pay off his debts.
Able Seaman Joshua Cheetham received hundreds of pounds for each watch when he sold them on eBay while working as a storeman on the frigate HMS Kent.
A court martial heard the 26-year-old had racked up debts after ‘living outside his means’.
The CWC (Cabot Watch Company) SBS dive watches – which operate at underwater depths of 300metres – have been key pieces of kit for specialist forces for the last 30 years.
The hearing was told that Cheetham made £1,642 by selling six watches looted from stores on the Type-23 frigate, which is based in Portsmouth.
He was caught out in February 2021 when eBay buyers contacted the Ministry of Defence to check the validity of the watches.
When his home was searched, officers also discovered Royal Navy-owned batteries and another SBS watch. Cheetham, a logistician, admitted two counts of theft and one of fraud when he was interviewed by police. The court heard he had begun selling the watches to pay off his overdraft. Cheetham has now been dismissed and sentenced to military prison for three months by a board at Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire.
Major James Eveleigh, prosecuting, told the hearing Cheetham ‘abused his position of trust’ as it was part of his job to buy the watches for the Navy.
He said: ‘He obtained six new watches and the total value was £1,642. As part of the investigation, they searched his home and found a watch and Navy batteries worth £10.28. On February 1 2021, he ordered a further two watches but had no permission to do so. This was a breach of trust and was a financial loss for the MoD.’
Cheetham’s lawyer, Helen Easterbrook, said he began overspending and resorted to crime to fight his debts.
She added: ‘He found himself in a complete mess and made a very bad decision.’
A Royal Navy seaman salary is approximately £25,970 per year.
Sentencing, Judge Robert Hill said: ‘You had a position of trust, of responsibility, which you have abused.’
Judge Hill concluded that his crime was so serious dismissal was inevitable.
Cheetham was dismissed from the Navy. He must serve 60 days of his three-month sentence and pay compensation of £1,367.70.
‘This was a breach of trust’