Corporal who tried to 'big it up' by attending wedding in sergeant's uniform and medals bought on the internet is fined after being spotted on Facebook

A Royal Marine who impersonated a superior and used medals bought on the internet has been fined, after photographs of him were spotted on Facebook.


Robert Barnett, who was a corporal at the time, wore medals he had not earned and the uniform of a sergeant, as he wanted to ‘big himself up’ at a family wedding, a court martial heard yesterday.


The 33-year-old serviceman’s superiors, of 40 Commando, were ‘livid’ after pictures of him at the event were posted on the social networking site.


Barnett, who is based near Taunton, Somerset, was promoted to sergeant in March this year and was an acting sergeant for six months in 2011.


But at the time of the wedding in June, 2012, Barnett was still a corporal, the court martial at Portsmouth was told.


The Marine, who has toured in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo during his 16 years of service, denied the charge but was found guilty of ‘conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline’ and fined £300.


In a written statement read to the court martial, Regimental Sergeant Major Joseph Gillespie said: ‘When I asked Corporal Barnett why he had worn the medals and uniform, he said he “wanted to look good in front of his family and big himself up”.


‘He had bought the medals from a company he had found on the internet and had them engraved and mounted.’


Barnett, based at HMS Raleigh in Plymouth, admitted he had worn the uniform and medals, but he denied conduct that was prejudicial to good order and service discipline because it was a private event.




Imposing the sentence, Judge Advocate Robert Hill said: 'In the military community rank is hard earned, respect is hard earned and medals are hard earned. People find it offensive when people abuse it by wearing a uniform and medals they have no business wearing at all.'

Captain Benjamin Taylor, prosecuting, told the one-day court martial in Portsmouth that Barnett, who was described in court as professional and generous, had been an acting sergeant in 2011.


But he was a corporal again in June last year and wore the sergeant’s uniform, plus a long service and good conduct medal, a Nato medal for operations in Afghanistan and the King’s Badge - awarded to the best recruit of any batch to pass out from training - all of which he was not entitled to wear.






The red circle on the arm of the No.1 dress uniform (left) highlights the sergeant's three stripes which as a corporal, Barnett was not entitled to wear. At the same wedding he can be seen proudly displaying medals (right) on a mess uniform which, again, gave the false impression he was of a higher rank







He explained that the medals were a gift from his father and that his family asked to wear the uniform. He has since been made a sergeant and can be seen here in attire that now corresponds with his position


Capt Taylor said by wearing the items Barnett had 'fundamentally undermined good order and discipline and showed complete disregard to them' and 'he did it to show off and impress others'.

The court heard that the offence came to light when other marines saw the images of Barnett at the wedding in Harrow, north London, on Facebook that had been tagged.


Colour Sergeant Dominic Conway said he was 'livid' when he saw the pictures and tackled Barnett about it.


'I was quite surprised and shocked. He was not entitled. I was livid about it,' he told the court.

Giving evidence, Barnett said that his family asked him to wear his uniform and that he had not had time to alter his dress uniform back to the rank of corporal.


He denied he had said he wanted to 'big himself up' to RSM Gillespie.


Judge Advocate Robert Hill said: 'In the military community rank is hard earned, respect is hard earned and medals are hard earned. People find it offensive when people abuse it by wearing a uniform and medals they have no business wearing at all.' (Royal Marines file picture)

He explained that the medals were a gift from his father and he used them as his real ones had been sent away to have the Diamond Jubilee Medal added.


He said he borrowed the mess uniform from someone else and it had the King’s badge on it and he was aware of its significance.


'I knew I was not a sergeant. It was a private wedding and I never thought the photos would see the light of day,' he told the court.


But the court martial panel of three Royal Navy officers found him guilty of the charge.


In mitigation, the court heard that Barnett meant no disrespect to the service, but he did it to keep his partner happy as she wanted him to wear the uniform.


The charge carried a maximum of two years imprisonment.