A FORMER Paratrooper who stole medals from his comrades while they were fighting the Taleban in Afghanistan was caught with an arsenal of military equipment at his home.

Simon Rogers, 29, remained at Meeanee Barracks, in Colchester, when his regiment went off to fight in Afghanistan, because he had suffered a suspected heart attack, a court heard.

He then sold four medals, awarded to comrades for service in Iraq and Afghanistan, over the internet.

Northampton Crown Court was told the Ministry of Defence heard about the medals being sold and launched an investigation.

When military police raided Rogers’s home in Main Street, Apethorpe, Northants, in August last year, they found he had also taken hundreds of items of military equipment.

John Lloyd-Jones, prosecuting, said: “As well as body armour, fuses, hand-fired rockets and battle noise simulators, they also discovered live ammunition and explosive detonators.” Steel boxes filled with 40 electric detonators, 99 safety fuse igniters and 41 rounds of live ammunition were found stored in a shed. Rogers admitted stealing four operational service medals and possessing ammunition and explosives.

He took Iraq operational service medals and Afghanistan clasp medals between December 1, 2007, and October, 2008.

The owners of the medals all served in 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, which has toured in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past six years.

The battalion started its latest tour of Afghanistan’s Helmand province this month.

Rogers claimed he found the medals in a skip. The prosecutor said he did not accept the claim of theft by finding, but said he was not asking for an extra court hearing for a judge to make a ruling.

Judge Richard Bray adjourned sentencing for reports and released Rogers on bail.

Refering to the military equipment, he said: “You cannot have people leave the Army with these sorts of items because it is plainly dangerous.”

The soldiers were reunited with their medals.