A gang of robbers who stole around £700,000 in ATM thefts boasted that police had no ‘concrete evidence’ against them just days before they were arrested.
The group, who are now facing prison sentences, used angle grinders and sophisticated ‘jaws of life’ tools – typically used by firefighters – in a looting spree which saw them strike nine times in just under a year.
Raiding machines in West Mercia, Leicestershire, Avon and Somerset, Bedfordshire, Greater Manchester, Cumbria, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Staffordshire, they used stolen high-speed cars with fake registration plates to flee crime scenes.
The group also used a reinforced flatbed truck to pummel their way into the businesses.
West Midlands Police launched an investigation into the gang after discovering that they were based nearby, and detectives closed in after finding that the thieves had booked two holiday lets in Cumbria as a base to strike from in August 2024.
For three consecutive days they operated in the North Western county, stealing £128,000 from cash machines that they had prised open before using a stolen Audi as a getaway vehicle.
However, it was during the group’s attempts to return the stolen vehicle to the Midlands, where it was sourced, that an officer spotted it on the back of a low loader being driven by Daniel Hickenbottom.
Hickenbottom was arrested and it later transpired that his role in the plot was to take stolen vehicles from A to B on the trailer in a move to avoid detection by the authorities.
Subsequent investigations saw the rest of the gang identified through analysis of video footage, mobile phone records, voice recordings and forensic examinations including fingerprints and DNA.
Detectives uncovered that Noel Reilly, Craig Howell and Simon Pagett would plan and carry out the raids, and were spotted on CCTV buying clothing to wear on the thefts before arriving in stolen cars with tools to break into the ATMs.
During the investigation, police recovered a WhatsApp audio recording from Reilly, who said police had no ‘concrete evidence’ against the gang. Eleven days later, the force launched dawn raids to arrest him and other gang members.
Oliver Matthews was the owner of Bloxwich Resprays, where the gang would store their stolen vehicles and use as a base. He would drive around the country after crimes to assist the gang.
On Friday, after a trial lasting more than a two months at Wolverhampton Crown Court:
- Noel Reilly, aged 46, of Appletrees Crescent, Bromsgrove pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle, handle stolen goods and possess criminal property
- Simon Pagett, aged 43, of Dartford Road, Bloxwich pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle, handle stolen goods and possess criminal property
- Oliver Matthews, 39, of Baneberry Drive, Featherstone pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle
- Craig Howell, 44, of Hatfield Drive, Wolverhampton, was convicted of conspiracy to burgle, handle stolen goods and possess criminal property
- Daniel Hickenbottom, 38, of Chantry Avenue, Bloxwich, was convicted of conspiracy to burgle, handle stolen goods and possess
All five will be sentenced at a later date.
Det Sgt Tom Frenchum, from West Midland Police’s Major Crime Unit’s Proactive Team, said: ‘A huge amount of planning and preparation went into these offences and the gang showed a high level of sophistication throughout but our detective worked tirelessly to disrupt them and now put them behind bars.
‘The gang had specific roles – some would carry out the ATM attacks, while others would help with the logistics of transporting the stolen vehicles and the specialist cutting equipment.’
The investigation was part of the force’s Operation Target, which they say is a ’24/7 effort’ to target those involved in serious and organised crime in the region.
The force say: ‘Our officers work around the clock to target those involved in guns, drugs, money laundering and exploitation.’
