Two Bradford soldiers have been sent to an Army detention centre for stealing fuel from their base.

Ralph Barber, 21, and John Burdett, 23, are both troopers with the Royal Dragoon Guards stationed at Aliwal Barracks, Tidworth, Salisbury.

At a court martial they both admitted taking 280 litres of petrol, worth £424.

The hearing was told the pair climbed into the motor transport compound at their base and took jerry cans of petrol to fill up their car to drive back North during their leave.

Trooper Burdett also admitted three allegations of using an Army credit card he found to pay for petrol when he filled up at garages at Andover, Hampshire and Ossett, Wakefield.

Army prosecutor Captain David Christie told the court at Bulford Camp that they first took petrol from their unit's yard before their leave last summer. They drove back down from Yorkshire during their leave and climbed the compound fence to get more petrol to refuel the car.

Defending counsel Marcus Davey said Barber had been under "tremendous pressure" at the time. He had been desperate to see his young son after being told by the mother that access would be denied if he did not visit.

Mr Davey said best friend Burdett became involved because he wanted to help his comrade. "He was trying to assist a friend, but went about it the wrong way," he said.

The hearing was told that Barber had remarried and was sorting out access arrangements for his son through a lawyer.

The men were sentenced to 140 days detention and ordered to pay for the petrol they took from their base.

An Army spokesman said the pair would be able to return to their units after completing their sentences and their future careers should not be affected.

The spokesman said: "The men will spend 140 days at the Army Detention Centre at Colchester which is a regime similar to prison but with a lot of military training.

"As far as their future careers go, as far as we are concerned once they have completed their sentence they will return to their units."

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