Gang jailed after blowing up cash machines in crime spree

The gang attempted to steal from six cash machines in the West Midlands and West Mercia.

Jimmy Nsubuga
Updated ·2 min read
(Clockwise) Alexander Blakemore, Christopher Rock, Jake Parkes, Craig Everitt, Matthew Stokes and Mark Harrison. (West Midlands Police)
(Clockwise) Alexander Blakemore, Christopher Rock, Jake Parkes, Craig Everitt, Matthew Stokes and Mark Harrison. (West Midlands Police)

A gang has been jailed after blowing up cash machines and stealing cars in a crime spree across the Midlands.

Craig Everitt, 44, Matthew Stokes, 34, Mark Harrison, 41, Alexander Blakemore, 31, Jake Parkes, 25, and Christopher Rock, 43, were all found guilty after a series of ATM explosions.

The group attempted to steal from six cash machines across the West Midlands and West Mercia, police said.

Despite failing to take any money in several of the incidents, they caused more than £80,000 in damage and stole a number of cars and vans during this period, some of which were used to carry out the offences.

A general view of Birmingham Crown Court in Birmingham. (Photo by Rui Vieira/PA Images via Getty Images)
The was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court. (Getty)

On 3 October 2018, Everitt and Stokes were caught on CCTV attempting to cause an explosion at a free-standing cashpoint in Pelsall High Street, in Walsall.

On the same day, they succeeded in causing an explosion at a shop in Daisy Street, Coseley, but were unable to take any money.

This was followed by another attempt, this time at a petrol station in Penn, Wolverhampton, and another in Turnberry Road, Bloxwich.

The Bloxwich offences were disrupted by officers, resulting in them fleeing the scene at high speeds.

All six men were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on 9 June.

Everitt, of Wolverhampton, was handed three years and six months in prison, while Stokes, of Coseley, received six years and two months.

Harrison, of Walsall, will serve four years and two months in jail, while Rock, of Wolverhampton, was handed a 20-month suspended sentence with 180 hours unpaid work.

Blakemore, of Wolverhampton, received an 18-month suspended sentence with 180 hours unpaid work and Parkes, of Wolverhampton, was given a 24-month suspended sentence with 200 hours unpaid work.

Detective Constable Barry Bevan, from Force CID, said: "This was a co-ordinated and planned series of thefts across the region.

"CCTV footage showed them repeatedly visiting the offence locations to prepare for the raids, and trying to cause explosions at the ATMs shows how serious they were about stealing a significant quantity of cash."