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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Kent wreck-raid divers told to pay £64k | Kent wreck-raid divers told to pay £64k |
| (about 21 hours later) | |
| Two divers who plundered artefacts worth more than £250,000 from shipwrecks off the Kent coast have been ordered to pay £63,500 between them. | |
| David Knight, 52, and Edward Huzzey, 56, both from Sandgate, raided ships and allegedly kept cannon from the wreck of a 19th Century merchant ship. | |
| The pair also used cutting tools to take propellers off a WW1 U-boat. | The pair also used cutting tools to take propellers off a WW1 U-boat. |
| They pleaded guilty to 19 offences between them at Southampton Magistrates' Court in May. | They pleaded guilty to 19 offences between them at Southampton Magistrates' Court in May. |
| It is the first example of a case being brought for divers failing to declare their haul. | It is the first example of a case being brought for divers failing to declare their haul. |
| The friends, who had been salvaging from shipwrecks since 2001, were "spooked" when they saw a BBC report that other divers in the Kent area had been arrested for raiding a battleship in the Thames Estuary, and went to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). | |
| 'Industrial scale' | 'Industrial scale' |
| When police searched their homes, they found "an Aladdin's cave" of items. | When police searched their homes, they found "an Aladdin's cave" of items. |
| Some items were sold for scrap - a receipt was found for "scrap metal and brass" for £357. | Some items were sold for scrap - a receipt was found for "scrap metal and brass" for £357. |
| Knight and Huzzey admitted 19 offences, which was reduced to 17 after some of the artefacts were retrieved. | Knight and Huzzey admitted 19 offences, which was reduced to 17 after some of the artefacts were retrieved. |
| The court heard the cannon have now been recovered. | |
| The Merchant Shipping Act 1995 says finds should be declared to the Receiver of Wreck within 28 days, but the defence argued there was a lack of clarity around this issue, and that the pair did ultimately confess. | The Merchant Shipping Act 1995 says finds should be declared to the Receiver of Wreck within 28 days, but the defence argued there was a lack of clarity around this issue, and that the pair did ultimately confess. |
| Anthony Calloway, Hampshire's district judge, said: "It's clear the operation was on an industrial scale. | Anthony Calloway, Hampshire's district judge, said: "It's clear the operation was on an industrial scale. |
| "The skill required and employed by them was considerable." | "The skill required and employed by them was considerable." |
| He added: "Huzzey and Knight are friends and clearly operated in close co-operation to actively scavenge for material from the wrecks they explored." | He added: "Huzzey and Knight are friends and clearly operated in close co-operation to actively scavenge for material from the wrecks they explored." |
| Knight was fined £7,000 and Huzzey £6,500. | Knight was fined £7,000 and Huzzey £6,500. |
| Both were ordered to pay costs of £25,000 each. | Both were ordered to pay costs of £25,000 each. |