Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on ebay

Read this one with great glee of the Lt Commander caught by the Sun on ebay flogging off his kit before leaving the navy.

I wonder what his bosses will think of that one....

Nice to see such a fall from grace.

R.

Officer flogs kit on eBay

A SENIOR Royal Navy officer has handed terrorists a potential coup by putting his UNIFORM up for sale on eBay.

Grasping Lt Commander Paul Berry, 48, is flogging off kit including his Navy-issue jacket, beret and cap — all emblazoned with his high-ranking insignia.

The £50,000-a-year officer, who retires next month as director of fleet engineering at Portsmouth Naval Base, is also offering epaulettes and cap badges.

The base is home to warships and other prime terror targets — and last night a senior security source warned: “It’s unbelievable. With a full lieutenant commander’s uniform a bad guy could simply walk in.â€


Navy officer ... Lt Cdr Berry

Berry boasts in the ad for his gear, which was paid for by the taxpayer: “Your chance to own a genuine Royal Navy Gortex foul weather jacket which until very recently I wore as part of my full naval uniform.

“I’m selling all my kit, so watch out for other auctions. Happy bidding!â€

The Sun bought the jacket — Nato issue number 8415-99-869-4738 — and a black beret complete with crown and anchor badge after arranging to meet Berry near his home in Cosham, Portsmouth.

He pocketed £150 — crowing that he had a “trunk full†of other gear to peddle. But later he said: “I made a mistake.â€

The MoD said personnel were free to sell off items of uniform — as long as they had bought it themselves.

A spokesman insisted: “The unifor itself does not give you access to the base.â€

 

Re: Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on eb

RG Mcoll you are either looking for a bite or a sh_t stirring CNUT more likely a journalist

I presume you mean busted by the sun rather than the Navy, which is how your title reads.

This is a non story of the highest order, the security aspect is bullsh_t,

If you are reading this STORY with glee I'd suggest you get a f_cking life as you are no better than the scum journalists that have printed it

Waste of space on a slow day

rant over
TheGimp

 

Re: Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on eb

You could be wearing an Admirals uniform and still not be able to just walk in to any base, what horseshit. However, if the aforementioned grunter did sell his kit and get busted it serves him right. Just like the warrant officers who lose their pensions and get kicked out for fiddling a 50 quid CTM.
Anyway, anyone can buy pussers kit from a number of retailers. Why they would want to do so is another matter.

 

Re: Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on eb

My concern is that a senior officer should know better than to sell his kit off on ebay, regardless of the security issues, one would expect an officer of this level of seniority to know better.

He should be setting an example, and the jacket mentioned in the Sun article is an issue item, at the end of the day it belongs to the tax payer and should be returned to stores when you leave, not sold on to make some extra pocket money.

R.

 

Re: Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on eb

Thta's funny, my Kit Book says "Grat - 5 years" next to the issue of the fouly. On getting my second hook, I asked stores whether they wanted my JR rig - I was told "no", they'd only destroy it. What's the point of returning used kit that stores don't want?

 

Re: Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on eb

Since when did a 2 1/2 become a senior officer?

M(R)

 

Re: Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on eb

About the same time selling second hand uniforms created a security risk. There are plenty of places where uniforms can be bought or hired, and this has been the case for as long as there have been uniforms.

Peter

 

Re: Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on eb

Only ratings get 1 for 1 (and therefore the kit does belong to the tax payer!) Officers get an initial grat issue, then have to pay for replacement (bar 4s and CS95 I think!), and thus it does belong to them.

It would have been better for him to donate unwanted items to the Sea Cadets ot CCF(RN) of course.

Totally agree with the other points 'about secrtity risk' and being able to get kit elsewhere. From what I was taught when I worked in the fringes of journalism a "source" is usually you own opinion (or your editiors), and added just to spice up the story. It's widely used in journalism, often written as "sources close to the investigation", or "a source within the company". A spokesman is usually the genuine article - but selectively quoted to push your agenda!

 

Re: Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on eb

For those looking for uniforms for nefarious purposes the government runs this site, perhaps if the Sun had tried this they could have had more fun.

http://www.edisposals.com/

Peter

ps there are a few quite interesting items for sale here as well as the uniform bits.

 

Re: Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on eb

I know when I left, I had to hand in my No1's, DMS boots, 2 pairs of 4's and my 5's.

Do officers have the same ruling on this if so, I think this my just be a bite!

Or is my logical thinking off tracks??

 

Re: Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on eb

i left the mob back in 2001 and the stores basher didn't want anything back at all except my flight deck helmet. must of had somekind of sexual thing going for it. I believe this is still the case so i presume you can do anything you like with it. Look on e-bay and the entire naval uniform stores system is up for grabs!!

 

Re: Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on eb

Mmm nice toys!!

 

Re: Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on eb

Try typing in "SAS" to the Ebay search and see what comes up. Its a standing joke on Arrse that anything and everything the pongoes have surplus is chucked on there with SAS -issue. Any Sun journos out there want to buy from me? I've got a fouly jacket somewhere, my old beret and some rank slides. £150 sounds like a good price.

The real shame is that some scum journo didn't try to just walk in wearing the kit. I'm quite like to see the headlines when MOD Plod shot him.

 

Re: Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on eb

As for the SUN as normal "WALOB"

Even in the sixties you needed a crappy ID card to get into a base. All Officers had theirs closley examined even the Captain of Dolphin just because we could without them complaining. If they did not like it then they took you off main gate duties, what a great result.

Any item of pussers kit is freely available so who cares if a 2.5 get a few quid more.

On discharge I handed Jack Dusty 200 DF's he stamped all my cards. So it cost me 11 old shillings cost of 200 Rothmans in the early 70's for Steaming Boots, two submarine sweaters, two pairs of white stockings, foul weather jacket, rigging knife, spike, belt and holster etc. Respirator long lost as was other skimmer type items. SORTED


Then again what TYPE OF PERSON reads the Sun to even comment on this type of crap. Perhaps a crap person like the paper.

Nutty

 

Re: Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on eb

Ive got a full set of Pussers Goretex Cam and 2 sets of CS 95 rig +various other bits and bobs, might think about ebaying the lot now.

 

Re: Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on eb

Oi! If you flood the market you'll depress the prices for the rest of us :lol:

 

Re: Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on eb

What a bizarre site - i think I might buy a landing craft - a snip at £220k! Bet I could sail straight into Pompey no bother... Only wearing my 1SL's uniform from ebay though!

 

Re: Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on eb

I always thought that Foul Weather gear was Personal loan items ?
it was certainly that way when I served as a Dusty.
Is F/W clothing now issued as part of kit ?

I was in Chatham when a certain Mod Plod Sergeant caught a jack carrying a bag with F/W gear with the labels cut out and he had a field day stopping all jacks travelling between Chatham yard and Pembroke and checking bags and jackets etc.

One of his plods also tried to do me with sheets & pillowcases being taken home for dhobeying - couldn't accept that we were issued as part of kit in those days ??!

As for 2 1/2's and sense - We had one (Gunnery Officer - what else?) who bullied the clothing dusty into giving him some shoulder boards 'on loan' - Father S read him his 264's sharpish !

 

Re: Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on eb

I cannot believe the Sun busted him, after all uniforms are frequently sold on ebay & have been for ages. They seem popular for fancy dress & matelots square rig is popular with gays, being advertised as such. If you are after an officer's uniform, pay a visit to the link below & have fun.

eBay Officers jackets

For those wanting to sell off your goretex, they are for sale at less than £40.

You can even buy an RN matelot from 1939... though he's made of pewter :lol:

 

Re: Lt Commander Busted by Sun for selling his uniform on eb

He's only a Lt Cdr, you can buy the stuff direct from manufacturers, and you need more than a suit to get into the base. Sounds like a journo fishing. The Scum is a well known peddler of shite, and Tom Neutered Dung is a top level journo - working for a partner-beating editor which employs a convicted murderer on it's staff. I used to like the Scum until I realised how much newsprint was coming off on my arse.