British soldiers sentenced for gun plot

YORK, England, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Four British soldiers have received jail terms of six months to five years for participating in a scheme to smuggle guns out of Iraq.

Three of the soldiers were discharged from the army, the Daily Mirror reported.

The four, who pleaded guilty before a court-martial at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, admitted minor roles in the plot. Lance Cpl. Ross Phillips and Pvt. Shane Pleasant both admitted possessing imitation pistols that had been converted to fire live ammunition.

Lance Cpl. Ben Whitfield and Pvt. Robert Marlow admitted hiding guns, pleading to intending to pervert the course of public justice. Marlow, who received the shortest sentence, is the only one allowed to remain in the military.

Two lance corporals, Michael White and Anthony Creswick, allegedly came up with the plan after they arrived in Iraq with the 3rd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment, officials charge. They allegedly decided to buy guns there, smuggle them to Germany in military vehicles and then sell them to fellow soldiers at a hefty markup.