An ex-Army Major was branded a "disgrace" by a judge - after duping military museums into sending him tanks and weapons which he sold on for thousands of pounds, a court heard.

Michael Whatley, 65, tricked military museums and governments in Belgium, Germany, and Sweden into sending him a number of tanks and other military vehicles, some containing live armaments, over a ten-year period.

The retired British Army Major, from Sandhurst,  previously served with the Household Cavalry Regiment, before retiring in 2014.

But a hearing at Salisbury Crown Court on August 13 heard that Whatley had dishonestly obtained the tanks by falsely claiming to be acting on behalf of the Household Cavalry Museum.

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He also used the same deception to acquire free MOD accommodation to store them and to source spare parts from MOD stores.

He had then sold the vehicles and weapons on to other collectors, including three that were supposedly shipped to Washington, USA.

But Whatley was found out when military vehicles were flagged at a port in 2011 - with a total of 24 tanks and vehicles of various European makes seized at a depot.

An investigation then followed by the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP), and Whatley pleaded guilty to three charges of committing misconduct in a public office.

He was sentenced on August 13 to two years in prison, suspended for two years, and was ordered to complete 150 hours' unpaid work, and pay £1,500 towards prosecution costs.

Judge Andrew Barnett told him: "You are a disgrace. You were a very distinguished man, a Major in one of the oldest regiments in the British Army.

"You should be bitterly ashamed of your conduct. I don't want to minimise the effect actions such as yours has upon public confidence in the army."

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Governments and state museums often donate exhibits to other bona-fide museums - but are prevented by law or policy from disposing of "weapons of war", such as tanks, to private individuals.

In total, 24 tanks and armoured vehicles of various European makes were seized during the MDP investigation and several other items of MOD property, including military vehicle parts, were also recovered.

Throughout the investigation, the MDP worked closely with the authorities in Belgium, Germany and Sweden and with the Crown Prosecution Service.

After Whatley's sentencing, Head of MDP Crime Command, Detective Superintendent Raffaele D'Orsi, said: "This was a very complex investigation, which involved my officers gathering detailed information on Michael Whatley's actions between 2001 and 2011.

"The investigation also involved detailed collaboration with the authorities in a number of European countries.

"This was a protracted process that inevitably generated an amount of complex material which needed close analysis.

"However, the guilty plea entered by Michael Whatley and the sentence of the court sends out a clear signal that misconduct by those holding trusted positions in public offices, especially within the MOD, will not be tolerated.

"Such misconduct will be pursued through the legal system, regardless of how protracted that process needs to be within what is permissible in law."

ENDS