Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 10:00
THREE Cornish divers accused of stealing treasure from a shipwreck are preparing to accept a deal which would label them criminals, despite maintaining their innocence.
Peter Devlin, formerly of Falmouth, Malcolm Cubin, from Truro, and Steve Russ, from Helston, are preparing to plead guilty to the Spanish charges against them to put an end to their seven-year nightmare.
It means a six-month sentence on charges of stealing gold and diamonds – but they will be released on probation and will not serve time in prison.
If they refuse the plea deal, they could be sentenced to three years and also receive fines of tens of thousands of pounds.
The three were working in Galicia, north-western Spain, after winning a contract to salvage tin from the Friesland, a Dutch cargo vessel which sank in 1877.
They were arrested in June 2002 and it is alleged that, as well as diving on the Friesland, they were exploring the remains of an adjacent vessel, the Dom Pedro, a 17th-century galleon laden with gold and diamonds.
The men all deny a charge of theft and are due to appear for trial at the Court of Santiago in Galicia on March 24.
If they refuse the plea deal, they could also be found guilty of a further charge of damaging the wreck, which could add to any fine or jail term.
Yesterday, Mr Cubin told ITV Westcountry that the trio maintained their innocence.
He said: "We would like to fight it. We know we haven't done anything wrong.
"But in accepting this plea, we could draw a line under the whole thing."
The men were working as a team of commercial divers with Mr Devlin's Cornwall-based Force 9 salvage company.
The firm had won a contract from the Spanish authorities to salvage 220 tons of tin worth up to £650,000 from the Friesland.
Prosecutors allege that the divers were exploring the remains of the Don Pedro, a 17th-century galleon with gold and diamonds in its hold.
Investigators found that the wrecks had been minimally disturbed and no valuables had been taken.
The divers believe they have been caught up in a dispute between the Spanish central government – which stood to gain 23 per cent of the profits from the salvage operation – and the Galician local government, which was not involved in the deal.
Mr Cubin said the divers felt "abandoned" by the British Government and had received no support throughout their ordeal.
THREE Cornish divers accused of stealing treasure from a shipwreck are preparing to accept a deal which would label them criminals, despite maintaining their innocence.
Peter Devlin, formerly of Falmouth, Malcolm Cubin, from Truro, and Steve Russ, from Helston, are preparing to plead guilty to the Spanish charges against them to put an end to their seven-year nightmare.
It means a six-month sentence on charges of stealing gold and diamonds – but they will be released on probation and will not serve time in prison.
If they refuse the plea deal, they could be sentenced to three years and also receive fines of tens of thousands of pounds.
The three were working in Galicia, north-western Spain, after winning a contract to salvage tin from the Friesland, a Dutch cargo vessel which sank in 1877.
They were arrested in June 2002 and it is alleged that, as well as diving on the Friesland, they were exploring the remains of an adjacent vessel, the Dom Pedro, a 17th-century galleon laden with gold and diamonds.
The men all deny a charge of theft and are due to appear for trial at the Court of Santiago in Galicia on March 24.
If they refuse the plea deal, they could also be found guilty of a further charge of damaging the wreck, which could add to any fine or jail term.
Yesterday, Mr Cubin told ITV Westcountry that the trio maintained their innocence.
He said: "We would like to fight it. We know we haven't done anything wrong.
"But in accepting this plea, we could draw a line under the whole thing."
The men were working as a team of commercial divers with Mr Devlin's Cornwall-based Force 9 salvage company.
The firm had won a contract from the Spanish authorities to salvage 220 tons of tin worth up to £650,000 from the Friesland.
Prosecutors allege that the divers were exploring the remains of the Don Pedro, a 17th-century galleon with gold and diamonds in its hold.
Investigators found that the wrecks had been minimally disturbed and no valuables had been taken.
The divers believe they have been caught up in a dispute between the Spanish central government – which stood to gain 23 per cent of the profits from the salvage operation – and the Galician local government, which was not involved in the deal.
Mr Cubin said the divers felt "abandoned" by the British Government and had received no support throughout their ordeal.
