Online shoppers can order an authentic Military Cross for parcel delivery via online auction site eBay, it has been revealed.

Ranger Alan Owens, who served with the Royal Irish Regiment, is selling the medal he was awarded in Afghanistan in 2009, the Daily Mail reports.

Mr Owens, from Portadown, was given the honour after developing “a level of empathy with the local population which no amount of fighting could establish”, the newspaper stated.

The former soldier said he did not wish to discuss his reasons for selling the item, listed with a starting bid of £25,000 and a ‘buy it now’ charge of £100,000, the journal added.

Also for sale from Mr Owens’ service are a Northern Ireland medal, an Iraq Medal, an Afghanistan Medal and 11 letters of congratulations from officers.

The internet auction site revealed it enjoyed a “landmark year” in 2010, with around 17 million customers ordering goods for parcel delivery online every month.

Author:  Paul Burn

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