Now Iran hostage tries to sell of his shiny suit on eBay

A Royal Marine taken hostage by Iran has been given a dressing-down by commanders after trying to sell the free suit he was given by his captors on eBay.

Lance Corporal Mark Banks, 24, was ordered to remove the cheap, shiny suit from the internet auction site by the Ministry of Defence after seeking minimum bids of 99p.

A senior Royal Navy source said: "Banks has been given a right royal dressing-down by the top brass. He has behaved like a prat. This was a very stupid thing to do. But as he has committed no criminal offence, no further disciplinary action will be taken."

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Reg Keys, whose son Thomas was one of six Royal Military Police Redcaps killed by an Iraqi mob in June 2003, was also angry. He said: "It is a disgrace and diabolical.

"It goes to show what a shambles the whole Iran-hostages situation was. I'm sure I could put some of my son's equipment from Iraq on eBay, but I wouldn't dream of it." In addition to the suit, Lance Corporal Banks, of Lowestoft, Suffolk, tried to hawk the waistcoat and shirt given to him in Iran.

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He and the other 14 hostages, who were seized on March 23 and held for 13 days, were pictured wearing the outfits as they were paraded on Iranian TV and met President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Two of the other hostages - Leading Seaman Faye Turney and Operator Mechanic Arthur Batchelor - caused a political storm after the MoD allowed them to sell their stories to TV and newspapers.

Then Mr Batchelor, who was nicknamed "Mr Bean' by his captors, was photographed in a Plymouth nightclub as friends staged a tasteless re-enactment of his ordeal, blindfolding him with a teatowel and holding a toy gun under his chin.

The suit was placed on eBay by a person calling himself 'steady_lance, from Lowestoft'. Senior defence sources confirmed it was Mr Banks.

The lot was billed as "Iran Captive Royal Marine Mark Banks's SUIT - GENUINE!' But it failed to attract any bids during the seven days it was on eBay before the MoD ordered its removal.

Steady_lance, who became an eBay member on April 23 and has no history of selling on the auction website, promised to provide potential buyers with a signed authentication from Marine Banks and a photo of him wearing the outfit.

Mr Banks was unavailable for comment. He was understood to be on shore duties in the UK.

His mother Penny Banks, 49, speaking at the family home she shares with her husband Allistair, 52, in Lowestoft, said: "I cannot say whether Mark or someone else put it up."

An MoD spokesman said: "We never discuss individual matters like this."