KOROR, Palau (3 July 2006) -- Matthew Young and Cameron James Avenell, who were convicted of theft of Palau's underwater artifacts, were sentenced to a jail term of three months and six months, respectively. Chief Justice Arthiur Ngiraklsong also ordered Young to pay a US$5,000 fine and Avenell US$12,000. Young was found guilty of violating the Lagoon Monument Act, grand larceny, malicious mischief and conversion of public property. He was sentenced six months for each violation. The chief justice, however, suspended the first three months of Young's sentence, which will run concurrently. Avenell was found guilty of four counts of violations of the Lagoon Monument Act, four counts of grand larceny, four counts of malicious mischief and four counts of conversion of public property. His six-month jail term will also run concurrently. Ngiraklsong ordered the two to pay the fines before they depart Palau. Assistant Attorney General Erin Johnson said the law requires that they move for the two divers' deportation after they have served their jail term. Johnson said they were happy with the court sentence. Assistant Attorney General Christopher Hale, for his part said: "The sentences were less that what we have asked for, but we are confident that the sentences will have some deterrent value." He added, "The message is loot Palau's historic shipwreck and you go to jail." During the sentencing, Young and Avenell apologized in the court for their "wrongdoing' and said they were remorseful and vowed not to do it again. Police recovered the artifacts during the search of the yacht Lionwind. SOURCE - Marianas VarietyCDNN Related NewsPALAU - Scuba looters pay $40,000 after stealing war wreck artifactsPALAU - Scuba looters charged with stealing artifactsFRANCE - HMT Lancastria shipwreck protected from scuba lootersUK - Government protects 17th century shipwreck from scuba lootersUSA - Scuba diver wants Germany to pay for gyrocompass he looted from U-853 subTHAILAND - Royal Navy's last 'human torpedoes' tracked downALASKA - 'Abandon Shipwreck Act' aims to protect wrecks from scuba lootersFLORIDA - Key West scuba diver busted for looting Red Sea shipwreck in 1994MALTA - British diver fined for stealing shipwreck artifactUSA - Threat of jail time, fines forced scuba diving grave robbers to turn over lootMALTA - First ever prosecution of alleged underwater thievesCANADA - Stuggling to protect historic shipwrecks from scuba thievesNORTH CAROLINA - Scuba thieves will pilfer shipwreck say expertsUSA - Feds bust Boston Sea Rovers for stealing shipwreck artifactsNORTH CAROLINA - Scuba thieves plunder rare unspoiled sub wreckMICHIGAN - BUSTED: Shipwreck thief ordered to return artifactsAUSTRALIA - Diver returns historic shipwreck's missing bellUK - Legal fight aims to protect war wreck from scuba diversVANUATU - Scuba thieves busted with stolen WWII munitions | | Liars and looters Leigh Bishop and Brad Sheard. Following the lead of dive industry-endorsed shipwreck looters Bishop and Sheard, scuba diving thieves around the world are destroying wrecks for bragging rights, coffee table displays and internet auction profits that amount to a fraction of the revenue shipwrecks can generate as fully protected underwater museums. FROM THE EDITORS OF CDNN Despite dive industry 'take pictures, leave only bubbles' green-wash, a small but strident group of scuba diving looters steal artifacts from shipwrecks under the guise of 'archaeological exploration', and aggressively compete for bragging rights, product endorsements and profits from the sales of stolen artifacts that are now on a par with those from smuggling humans and drugs. "We do not care about Leigh Bishop and Brad Sheard's personality problems, their hate-mongering web sites, their chat room shenanigans nor their crude attempts to blackmail responsible, eco-friendly dive companies that support full protection of marine wildlife and shipwrecks," said CDS President Evan T. Allard. "Such unscrupulous conduct is beneath contempt and serves only to substantiate accusations that Bishop and Sheard have committed crimes and will continue to do so unless authorities step in." "The fact is that the vast majority of the global scuba diving community opposes shipwreck looting and underwater grave robbing, and with good reason," Allard added. "For scuba divers, every shipwreck is an underwater museum to be fully protected for our children, our grandchildren and all future generations of divers who will dive deeper and longer thanks to ongoing improvements in diving technology ," Allard said. CYBER DIVER ALERT | If you have information pertaining to the theft and/or sale of wreck artifacts, or desecration of underwater grave sites by Leigh Bishop, Brad Sheard, organized crime gangs or anyone else, please contact CDNN immediately and your information will be passed along to appropriate authorities. REPORT SCUBA LOOTER |
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