Wreck Artefact Hunters in Court

Two men have pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of artefacts from wrecks off Britain's coast.

David Knight and Edward Huzzey, both from Sandgate, raided ships and illegally kept seven bronze cannon from the wreck of a 19th century British merchant ship in the English Channel.The pair also targeted the shipwrecks of German submarines from the First World War and an unknown 200-year-old wreck carrying English East India Company cargo.

It is the first prosecution of its kind and follows a four year investigation by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Mark Knight, a 51-year-old roofing contractor and marine businessman, and Edward Huzzey, a 55-year-old seafood technician, admitted a total of 19 offences between them under the Merchant Shipping Act. They used cutting equipment and explosives to remove material from wrecks. They will be sentenced in July.

Sandgate pair David Knight and Edward Huzzey admit plundering sea treasures worth £250k from shipwrecks Kent Online 15th May 2014.