Criminal gang targeted Cambs city as part of ATM raiding across UK worth £1 million

A criminal gang responsible for a series of ATM raids across the UK, including the burglary of £93,390 from a Peterborough site in 2021, has been sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison. The group's crimes caused £1 million worth of damage in total, reports SWNS.

The group was captured on CCTV targeting cash machines during a 19-month crime spree from March 2021 to October 2022. A court heard how the organised crime gang made off with £600,000 in cash from 17 attacks at shops, train stations, post offices and petrol stations.

The gang used a stolen van and straps to wrench stand-alone cash machines from the ground before making their escape in a stolen high-powered vehicle with false plates. For ATMs located in buildings, they employed power tools or vehicles to break through doors, then used a drill and other tools to reach the money inside.

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Once again, the thieves would make their getaway with the cash in a stolen car with fake registration plates, communicating solely via 'burner' phones. Investigations by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) and Police Scotland revealed that the gang had travelled far and wide to execute the raids.

Detectives identified a core group of three as the coordinators, Patrick Gilheaney, 34, John Smith, 32, and Tali Smith, 34. These three then enlisted partners, relatives and other associates on an 'on-call' basis to ensure the smooth running of their criminal enterprise.

The majority of the culprits were based in Leicestershire, with a key contact in Scotland facilitating several attacks across the border. In January 2022, a breakthrough was made when Gilheaney and John Smith journeyed from Peterborough to Scotland in a Fiat motorhome and returned a few days later.

A blue Saab and a stolen grey Audi RS4, both bearing false registration plates, also undertook the same journey, during which four ATM attacks occurred. Searches of the vehicles, identified through ANPR (Automated Number Plate Reader) footage and CCTV, resulted in the recovery of Scottish bank notes, drills, saws, and receipts for items such as face masks, gloves, and dark clothing.

In November 2022, hundreds of officers from seven forces executed several warrants, leading to multiple arrests. Seized items included stolen high-powered vehicles and car parts, additional high-value vehicles and motorhomes, over £30,000 in cash, and two imitation firearms.

Gilheaney's DNA was discovered on a crowbar left in a vehicle used during a raid in Loughborough, Leicestershire, on March 15, 2021. Tali Smith's DNA was found on the key to a stolen transit van, used in an attack in Attenborough, Nottinghamshire, in September 2021.

Ten defendants have now been sentenced to a combined total of 29 years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to various offences at Leicester Crown Court.

During the sentence hearing, His Honour Judge Brown stated: "These are serious and organised crimes, and I have a duty to impose substantial sentences."

Gilheaney, from Loughborough, Leicestershire, and John Smith, from Spalding, Lincolnshire, were handed seven years and six months in jail for conspiracy to commit burglary with the intent to steal and conspiracy to steal.

Tali Smith, associated with Bagworth, Leicestershire, was sentenced to prison for six years and eight months on identical charges. Bagworth-based Alfie Boswell, 32, received five-year terms for conspiracy to steal along with assisting an offender.

William Boswell, 24, from Bagworth, received a three-year prison sentence for conspiracy to steal.

Sarah Haynes, 35, and Victoria Smith, 35, from Bagworth and Spalding respectively, received 12-month sentences which were put on hold for 24 months, for assisting an offender.

Rosie McAllister, 28, from Bagworth, and Francis Gilheaney,33, from Loughborough, were given the same sentences for assisting an offender.

Gordon McPhee, 37, from Pumpherston, Edinburgh, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary with intent to steal and conspiracy to steal after a trial in February. He was sentenced to six years in prison.

Efforts will now be made by detectives to confiscate the gang's assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act in an effort to recover at least some of the stolen cash, of which little was found.

Detective Chief Inspector Darren Brown from EMSOU said: "This was a brash but technically skilled organised group, which found strength as a close-knit, omni-competent criminal community, operating under a clear leadership. On the face of it, this type of crime may seem victimless, but in attacking ATMs this group have attacked at the very heart of the community."

"Residents were left without a local means of accessing their cash. Many of these attacks also left vital community conveniences, such as post offices, petrol stations and 'corner' shops out of action while they were repaired.

"And then there's the associated residential burglaries and thefts of the vehicles used in the crimes. The sentences given today reflect how seriously the criminal justice system views this type of organised offending and the harm it inflicts on society.

"Through some expert investigation and concerted effort, we have also demonstrated the level at which UK policing can collaborate across county and country borders in order to protect our communities."

The series of crimes committed by the gang were as follows:

15 March 2021 - Loughborough - Burglary £600.

24 August 2021 - Carronshore, Scotland - Burglary £120,000.

4 September 2021 - Attenborough, Notts - Theft £53,630.

22 November 2021 - Bo'ness, Scotland - Theft £37,670.

24 November 2021 - Milngavie, Scotland - Theft £37,660.

25 November 2021 - Wester Dechmont, Scotland - Burglary £18,550.

1 December 2021 - Peterborough - Burglary £93,390.

8 December 2021 - Wolverhampton - Theft £41,430.

17 December 2021 - Luton - Theft £7,130.

17 December 2021 - Worcester - Theft £0*.

24 January 2022 - Dorchester - Theft £38,400.

30 January 2022 - Milngavie, Scotland - Theft £0*.

30 January 2022 - Ayr, Scotland - Theft £44,670.

31 January 2022 - Motherwell, Scotland - Theft £123,970.

1 February 2022 - Livingston, Scotland - Burglary £0*.

6 October 2022 - East Midlands Parkway - Theft £0*.

7 October 2022 - Southampton - Theft £35,510.

Total: £652,610.

*In those cases where no cash was stolen, the attackers were either disturbed, unsuccessful in gaining entry to the ATM or the ATM was empty.