An Army officer has told how he transported explosives from Howe Barracks in Canterbury to Scotland and delivered them to an ex-soldier for a payment of £500.

The 27-year-old colour sergeant told Maidstone Crown Court he put the explosives in the boot of his car and drove through the night to Glasgow with his unsuspecting parents-in-law as passengers.

When he arrived, he took the material, contained in a hessian sandbag, to the flat of his brother-in-law Andrew Quinn and was given a wad of cash.

The officer, known as B, said Quinn, 26, gave him about £2,500. He kept his £500 payment and took the remainder back to another colour sergeant, known as X.

B was giving evidence for the prosecution against X, 37, and Y, a 28-year-old lance corporal. All three are members of the 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland (Argyll and Sutherland Highladers) who are based at Howe Barracks.

B said he first heard about explosives being obtained when Quinn had a telephone conversation with Y.

They were driving in Scotland as Quinn told B that Y said he could get his hands on explosives. “I knew for a fact he couldn’t get explosives,” said B.

B said he had given Quinn a parachute flare, two smoke grenades and a distraction device.

Later, he said, Y told him: “I have a bit of business for you, if you are interested.” Asked what it was, Y replied: “Just take something up the road and give it to Andrew (Quinn).”

Asked what it was, Y told him it was explosives. B said he would get back to him and let him know.

“He said I would get £500 for taking it up the road,” he said. “I went home and thought about it. I said I would do it.”

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Asked by prosecutor Anthony Prosser why he agreed, he replied: “It was £500 coming up to Christmas. It would offset some bills.”

He decided to take the explosives during a visit to Scotland in November, last year. Y, he said, got the key to X’s locker, where the explosives were stored.

They were put in the sandbag, which went into a rucksack and was placed in the car boot. B then drove his parents-in-law to Scotland.

When he arrived in the early hours, he went alone to Quinn’s flat on the fourth floor of a block and gave him the sandbag.

“He looked in it and went and put it somewhere,” said B. “He came into the room with a wad of cash. I took my £500 out of it. I didn’t count it.”

B said after delivering the explosives, he returned to Canterbury the same day and gave the rest of the cash to X. He later saw Y, who asked him where the money was.

Asked what happened to the explosives, B said: “Andrew had them. He moved them on.”

X and Y deny conspiracy to possess explosives between October 31, last year, and February 16 and conspiracy to steal explosives, detonators, flares, smoke grenades, destruction grenades and other munitions from the Army.

B and Quinn admit conspiracy to possess explosives and conspiracy to dishonestly undertake or assist in the retention, removal or disposal or realisation of stolen goods.

The trial continues.