Australian army captain stole 10 rocket launchers

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian army captain was jailed for 10 years on Thursday for stealing 10 rocket launchers, five of which were sold to an alleged terrorist cell.

Shane Della-Vedova, 46, was arrested in April 2007. In November he pleaded guilty to two charges of stealing and possessing 10 rocket launchers between 2001 and 2003.

Police said five launchers were sold to a criminal who then sold them to a member of an alleged terrorist cell. Only one of the 10 rocket launchers has been recovered.

Della-Vedova's actions "strike at the very heart of state and federal security", said New South Wales District Court Judge Jonathan Williams in handing down the sentence on Thursday.

"It's difficult to imagine the use of such a weapon other than for the uses of terrorism," said Williams.

"I also find it extraordinarily difficult to believe that Mr Della-Vedova wouldn't have had well in mind that these weapons ... were more likely to be used for some criminal, terrorist-type activity," he said. "He was either prepared to turn a blind eye to these probabilities or acted in reckless disregard of them."

Judge Williams said nine rocket launchers still missing posed a serious domestic threat and could be used against Australians serving in war-torn parts of the world, reported local media from the court in Sydney.

Della-Vedova told police the launchers were part of a consignment he was supposed to destroy and he initially took them by mistake. "He simply forgot they were in his vehicle," said a defence statement to the court.