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A Royal Navy sailor has been jailed for stealing specialist diver watches used by elite SBS commandos and selling them for up to £500 on eBay.
Able Seaman Joshua Cheetham nicked a series of the gadgets - which operate at 300m underwater - while working as a storeman on warship HMS Kent.
A court martial heard the 26-year-old had racked up debts after 'living outside his means' and resorted to selling the CWC SBSs online for £300 to £500 each.
The watches have been key pieces of technology for specialist UK forces for the last 30 years.
They were described on the auction site as 'built for elite units of the British Forces, the Royal Marines and Special Boat Service'.
Able Seaman Joshua Cheetham (pictured) nicked a series of the gadgets - which operate at 300m underwater - while working as a storeman on warship HMS Kent
A court martial heard the 26-year-old had racked up debts after 'living outside his means' and resorted to selling the CWC SBSs (pictured) online for £300 to £500 each
The hearing was told Cheetham made £1,642 by selling six watches looted from stores on the Type-23 frigate, which is based in Portsmouth, Hampshire.
He was finally caught out in February 2021 when eBay buyers contacted the MOD to check the validity of the watches.
When the sailor's home was searched, officers also discovered Royal Navy-owned batteries as well as another watch.
Cheetham, a logistician, admitted two counts of theft - which stretched over a six month period - and one of