A man who stole war medals from Waiouru Army Museum has been jailed for 11 years.

The man, who has name suppression, appeared in Auckland District Court today for sentencing, after pleading guilty to the burglary last month.

He was sentenced to six years for the theft of 96 medals, including nine Victoria Crosses, from the museum in December 2007.

Sentencing the defendant, Judge Graham Hubble said the court took a dim view of dabbling in national treasures and holding them to ransom.

He said he gave the man a substantial discount for entering an early guilty plea, returning the medals and the ransom, and the fact that he had stood up in court today and apologised.

The defendant told the court he did not mean to target anyone individually.

"I apologise to all servicemen past and present who served for this country.

"I did it for my own personal gain and I sincerely apologise for everything I've done," he said.

Jim adds:

To read the complete article, see:Eleven years for war medals thief(nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/6372915/eleven-years-for-war-medals-thief/)