Soldier caught best friend selling his stolen Armani watch on Gumtree
Soldier caught his best friend selling his stolen Armani watch on Gumtree when he launched sting operation with his girlfriend after identical timepiece appeared online
- Guardsman Callum O’Donovan-Cronin reported the £350 timepiece missing
- He then caught Guardsman James Howard attempting to sell it online
A British Army soldier, who turned detective with the help of his girlfriend, caught his best friend trying to sell his missing Armani watch on Gumtree.
Guardsman Callum O’Donovan-Cronin returned from guard duty to find his prized possession gone and reported the £350 timepiece missing, a military court heard.
Having spotted an identical watch posted online, he and his girlfriend hatched a plan to catch out the seller.
In a sting operation they reached out to ‘James, from Woking’, who they suspected might be close friend Guardsman James Howard of the 1st Battalion Royal Welsh Guards. Bank details confirmed their hunch was right.
After admitting a single charge of theft, Gdsm Howard has narrowly avoided dismissal, with a judge sentencing him to four months service detention, suspended for 18 months.
Guardsman James Howard (pictured outside of court) of the 1st Battalion Royal Welsh Guards was caught trying to sell Guardsman Callum O’Donovan-Cronin’s Armani watch on Gumtree
Gdsm Howard After admitted to a single charge of theft and has narrowly avoided dismissal, with a judge at Bulford Military Court (pictured) sentencing him to four months service detention, suspended for 18 months
Prosecutor Colonel Grant Davies told Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, Gdsm O’Donovan-Cronin had bought the watch for £350 in October 2022.
‘On December 19 last year the victim returned from guard duty and found his watch was missing and reported it so,’ he said.
‘Several days later, he and his girlfriend were watching TV, and saw an identical watch being sold on Gumtree for £90 by a person called James in Woking.
‘He described himself as cross, visibly shaking and angry.’
As their plan unfolded and bank details confirmed the identity of the thief, Gdsm O’Donovan-Cronin messaged Gdsm Howard who then admitted stealing it and said: ‘I’ll be honest, I’m broke, I know it’s sh*t of me.’
The court heard 26 year old Gdsm Howard had entered his colleague’s room to socialise, but in a ‘moment of madness’ saw the watch and took it.
The father of two was struggling financially and hoping to make a bit of extra cash in time for Christmas, it was heard.
Mitigating, Chris Cannon told the court Gdsm Howard understood theft from fellow soldiers was ‘corrosive to morale and trust’.
‘It was an impulsive act,’ he said.
‘It wasn’t planned – he didn’t even know it would be there – and it was certainly an unsophisticated method to sell it.’
The court heard that Gdsm O’Donovan-Cronin messaged Gdsm Howard (pictured outside of court) who then admitted stealing it and said: ‘I’ll be honest, I’m broke, I know it’s sh*t of me.’
The court heard the two remain ‘good friends’, with Gdsm O’Donovan-Cronin having held ‘no grudge’.
Addressing Gdsm Howard, Assistant Judge Advocate General Jane England said theft from fellow service personnel was enough to ‘warrant’ dismissal, but not to act on it in this case.
‘This was a serious breach of trust,’ she said.
‘You know as well as anyone service personnel need to rely on the honesty of others not to steal from one another.
‘Whenever anyone steals from a work place you can expect to be dismissed, and the Army is no different.
‘It seems the motivation was to being in debt and wanting to give your daughters a decent Christmas which you couldn’t afford.’
The judge said theft offences ‘drive coach and horses’ through the trust which service personnel must have with one another.
However, she credited his ‘obvious remorse’, cooperation and early guilty plea, as well as his offer to give the watch straight back to Gdsm O’Donovan-Cronin as soon as he was exposed.
‘Balancing all these factors, we have decided to allow you to soldier on,’ she concluded.
‘There is a prospect of you providing valuable service to the Army – allowing us to give you a second chance.’
Gdsm Howard, based at Combermere Barracks, Windsor, was sentenced to four months service detention, suspended for 18 months.
Following the sentencing, Gdsm O’Donovan-Cronin was reunited with his Armani watch.
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