Gang jailed for total of more than 50 years after blowing up cash machines
A gang has been jailed for a total of more than 50 years for a £1.2million conspiracy to burgle homes and blow up cash machines.
The gang put people's lives at risk in a string of 14 attempted ATM explosions, successfully managing to take money from just three machines, causing £255,928 in damages and losses.
During one of the explosions, a family was asleep in the flat above where the fire was started, while another led to the evacuation of student halls of residence in Southampton.
The five men targeted homes, commercial premises and outbuildings, such as garages and sheds, across Hampshire, Dorset and Surrey between June 2019 and January 2020.
Ringleader David Hughes, 31, and his friends Cameron Chivers, 24, Colin Golding, 26, Adam Jones, 31, Jesse Matthews, 21, were jailed for a total of more than 50 years at Winchester Crown Court on Friday.
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The gang's brazen spree saw them steal high-powered cars, money, jewellery, motorbikes, bicycles and even a one-year-old French Bulldog. - which thankfully was returned to its owners.
Winchester Crown Court heard they would meticulously plan the attacks on cash machines, stealing cars in the lead up to a job to use as getaway vehicles.
In most instances, the men fled the scene empty-handed, with no explosion having occurred but the fires caused thousands of pounds worth of damage.
In one of the attacks, at a Tesco Express in Bishopstoke, when the ATM failed to explode, a stolen Land Rover Defender was unsuccessfully rammed into the ATM in an attempt to gain access, causing structural damage to the building in the process.
Following a series of dawn raids at addresses across the county, involving 150 officers, the men were arrested and charged for their involvement in the burglaries and explosions.
Sentencing the men, Judge Angela Morris said: "None of you gave a moment's thought to the danger you put those residents in or for the trauma they would suffer.
"This kind of offending involves the worst kind of criminality, motivated by unadulterated greed.
"This was only stopped by the intervention of the police."
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Hughes, of Hook, admitted to counts of conspiring to steal, conspiring to burgle and conspiring to cause an explosion. He was jailed for 17 years.
Chivers, of Southampton, admitted to conspiracy to cause an explosion, two counts of conspiracy to steal, and conspiracy to burgle. He was jailed for eight years and four months.
Golding, of Farnborough, admitted to conspiracy to cause an explosion, conspiracy to steal, and conspiracy to burgle. He was jailed for nine years.
Jones, of Fareham, admitted to conspiracy to cause an explosion, two counts of conspiracy to steal, and conspiracy to burgle.
Jones also admitted to failing to disclose a key contrary to Section 49 of Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, namely failing to provide a PIN for a mobile phone. He was jailed for 13 and a half years.
Matthews, of Bordon, admitted to conspiracy to cause an explosion and conspiracy to steal. He was jailed for six years and eight months.
The conspiracy to steal charges also relate to three burglaries where high powered vehicles were stolen as getaway cars following the ATM attacks.
The conspiracy to burgle charges relate to 31 burglaries which totalled value of goods stolen and damage caused at £375,000.
