Dealer admits handling stolen Enigma machine

Dennis Yates, a dealer in World War Two memorabilia, has pleaded guilty to the charge of handling a stolen Enigma encoding machine.

Yates was due to stand trial today, but changed his plea when he appeared at Aylesbury Crown Court. The Court ordered a separate charge of blackmail to lie on file.

The Abwehr Enigma G312 machine, worth £10,000, is one of only three Enigma machines in the world. Enigma was the name of the coding system used by the Germans in the Second World War.

The machine was stolen from Bletchley Park museum in April last year, during an open day at the site. Six months later, it was sent by post to BBC presenter Jeremy Paxman, who gave it to the police.