A ROYAL Navy rating fleeced more than £150,000 from the Ministry of Defence and splashed out on a house and luxury car, writes the WMN Petra Mann.

Disgraced Kern Emery Hackshaw, 26, who worked as a naval logistician, spent some of the money on a BMW M3 convertible and a new home in Saltash, Cornwall.

Yesterday, Hackshaw stood in the dock at Truro Crown Court to admit 18 counts of fiddling expenses and allowances, fraud and converting criminal property obtained by fraud from the Royal Navy.

Hackshaw, based at Plymouth, carried out the con between August 2006 and November 2008. He asked the court to take 59 other offences into consideration.

Hackshaw spoke only to confirm his name and to enter guilty pleas to all of the counts. Before he left the court accompanied by friends, Judge Christopher Elwen told him: "Be in no doubt that the extreme seriousness of these offences will result in a custodial sentence. It is just a matter of how long."

Hackshaw had been jointly charged with colleague Alison John, of Plymouth, who earlier this year pleaded guilty to eight counts of dishonesty totalling about £34,000. John did not appear yesterday.

Philip Lee, prosecuting, told the court that the 59 offences Hackshaw had asked to be taken into consideration amounted to £98,580.

The offences to which Hackshaw yesterday pleaded guilty totalled nearly £58,000.

Hackshaw admitted one count of converting criminal property to the tune of £18,000 by putting a deposit on the BMW.

In a similar charge of converting criminal property, Hackshaw paid a £26,151 deposit on his home at Grassmere Way, Pillmere, Saltash.

He also pleaded guilty to three charges of false accounting with regard to expense claims totalling nearly £900 and 10 counts of fraud by falsely claiming expenses totalling about £3,000.

Hackshaw admitted one count of fraud by falsely claiming allowances totalling £9,785 and two other similar charges.

Fred Howell, defending, asked Judge Elwen for pre-sentence reports to be prepared. The case was adjourned and Hackshaw was released on bail. He will be sentenced with John on January 8.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence last night refused to confirm or deny whether Hackshaw had been suspended from duty.