Recycling Boss Jailed For Selling Old British Armour To Middle East

The boss of a recycling company contracted to dispose of Ministry of Defence equipment has been jailed for selling British military armour worth £12m.
Sidney Nicholls, 53, sold old British military equipment, which would be worth £12m new, to the Jordanian Army.
The equipment included helmets and riot shields used in conflicts, as well as body armour subject to strict secrecy rules.
Prosecutor Peter Grieves-Smith – “If sold outside the MoD system, it would present a serious risk to national security” Worcester Crown Court heard this posed “serious risk” to national security as it would be possible to work out the strength of the armour and calculate what ballistic force would be required to defeat it.
Nicholls, from Stanford Bridge, Worcs, admitted fraud by false representation and was jailed for two years. Nicholls worked for UKBF, a sub-contractor of another recycling firm, in Kidderminster, Worcester. Instead of destroying the equipment, he stockpiled it and agreed to sell them to a broker.
According to the Mirror, the Jordanian Army agreed to pay £250,000, of which Nicholls would receive £100,000. The MoD, however, intercepted the 60 pallets of stock on a ship and Nicholls was arrested.
Prosecutor Peter Grieves-Smith said: “If sold outside the MoD system, it would present a serious risk to national security.
“It could be possible to work out the strength of British armour and what ballistic force would be required to defeat it.” Shawn Williams, defending, said Nicholls – now bankrupt – said: “He is not a person who is not patriotic.”
Source: CIWM