Divers could accept plea deal

On 17/03/2009
In Illegal Recoveries
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From The Packet

Deep sea divers from Truro, Falmouth and Helston, who face charges of plundering treasure from a Spanish shipwreck, are considering accepting a plea deal offered by the country’s authorities.

The deal would see the three men receive a 12 month suspended sentence, fined in excess of £5,000 and left with a criminal record for a crime they insist they did not commit.

Professional diver and owner of Force 9 Salvage, Pete Devlin from Falmouth, electronics expert Steve Russ from Helston, and professional diver Malcolm Cubin from Truro are due to face trial in Spain on March 24.

The team has had the threat of six years in jail and huge fines hanging over their heads since 2002.

The Spanish government has now threatened to issue an international arrest warrant if they do not come to Spain to face charges, or plead guilty.

The team has been warned they would not receive a fair trail because of slanted local press coverage.

Father of four, Malcolm Cubin aged 38 from Truro, who is considering fighting the extradition request said that having the threat of jail hanging over his head has been “mental torture” for him and his family.