A SCUBA-diving instructor and serving Gwent police officer was fined £1,500 after a novice diver drowned on his first sea dive.

Exeter crown court heard that Troy Elliott had not given an accurate version of events on the tragic day when Kevin Holvey died.

Mr Holvey drowned in Babbacombe Bay in south Devon in March 2000.

Elliott, from Ebbw Vale, admitted three offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act when he appeared at Exeter crown court.

Judge Graham Cottle said Elliot, 31, had shown a "cavalier attitude to safety procedures."

He said: "Diving is a potentially hazardous act and there are codes of practice in place and it is vital they are observed. On the day in question there were breaches of the codes of practice.

"There was a blatant disregard of safety regulations."

Prosecutor Ian Dixey said Elliott, a former Royal Marine who had taught diving to military comrades, had changed his story about what had happened when victim Kevin Holvey, 39, a fit rugby player, drowned on the second part of his first dive in the open sea.

A misadventure verdict was later returned at an inquest.

Mr Dixey said: "In summary Mr Holvey lacked training, he was unfamiliar with the equipment, the state of the seabed was too cloudy and they all contributed to what happened. There was a lack of stand-by assistance under water or on the surface effectively causing a delay in recovering Mr Holvey.

"On four occasions the defendant certified divers had the necessary skills when they did not do so. People need to be protected from themselves. Qualifications should not be given if they are not competent. It does not appear his version of events was accurate."

Leighton Hughes, defending, said: "He knew it was a hazardous sport and he was a social instructor for a handful of friends and their families. It was not a commercial enterprise.

"The defendant has quite properly been haunted by the memories of what happened on March 15. He has not been diving since and he is not going to dive or teach diving again."

After the case Mr Holvey's widow, Alison, said: "I feel justice has been done simply by this case coming to court, so long as no other family has to go through what we have been through."