Two "extremely drunk" men from Sussex stuffed £76,000 of jewellery down their pants during a bender on a cruise ship. Gary Cooper, 30, and Benjamin Greenwood, 33, stole the ten costly items from the Effy Jewellery store onboard MSC Virtuosa while docked in Southampton on Friday, March 31, last year. The pair have avoided jail after their actions were labelled "foolish" and "stupid" during sentencing last week.
Gary Cooper (left) and Benjamin Greenwood (Image: NQ, Jose Ramos) Southampton Crown Court heard that the two men, from Chichester, boarded the vessel just after midday and enjoyed the unlimited booze as part of their drinks package. Four hours after boarding the ship, Greenwood walked into the unmanned store and stole eight rings and two necklaces, while Cooper stood guard. The court heard the "fully brazen" actions happened while passengers walked past, with the two walking away with £76,000 of jewellery.
A bar on board the MSC Virtuosa. Picture: MSC Once shop staff realised the jewellery was gone, security guards were alerted and saw the sozzled pair on CCTV putting the jewellery into their underwear. They then tracked down the bungling thieves in different bars.
Prosecuting, Siobhan Linsley said the pair became "physically aggressive" while being "extremely drunk", meaning they had to be constrained and handcuffed by security. Police were called on board - and despite the pair being searched by them, the jewellery was not found. The court heard that because the shi.