A gang of cash machine raiders who stole £700,000 from ATMs using angle grinders have been jailed after boasting the police had no evidence on them.
Noel Reilly, Craig Howell and Simon Pagett would plan and carry out the raids, buying clothes and arriving in stolen cars with the right high-powered tools to break into the cash machines.
Meanwhile, Oliver Matthews, the owner of Bloxwich Resprays, would store the gang's stolen vehicles for them and they would use his garage as a base. He would drive around the country after crimes to help the gang.
Their crime spree lasted nearly a year and used specialist equipment like angle grinders and the jaws of life - hydraulic rescue tools used by firefighters to peel open smashed up cars.
They turned up to jobs in stolen high-performance cars, sawed open the cash machines, and sped off using several fake number plates for their getaways.
Giddy with the thrill of the raids, the gang couldn't help but send WhatsApp messages to one another boasting that the cops had no evidence on them - saying 'we're not stupid'.
Using a flatbed truck, the raiders struck in West Mercia, Leicestershire, Avon and Somerset, Bedfordshire, Greater Manchester, Cumbria, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Staffordshire.
But these reckless raids could not go on forever, and their downfall came when they audaciously booked two holiday lets in Cumbria to act as a base of operations while they struck in the county on three consecutive days, from August 11, 2024.
The group 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
Noel Reilly, 46, of Bromsgrove, was jailed for eight years and six months for conspiracy to burgle, handling stolen goods and possessing criminal property
Oliver Matthews, 39, of Baneberry Drive, Featherstone, was jailed for 40 months for guilty to conspiracy to burgle
Craig Howell, 44, of Wolverhampton, was jailed for 10 years for conspiracy to burgle, handle stolen goods and possess criminal property
Daniel Hickenbottom, 38, of Bloxwich, was jailed for three years and nine months for conspiracy to burgle, handle stolen goods and possessing criminal property
They stole more than £128,000 by forcing open cash machines at three shops and used a stolen Audi as the getaway vehicle.
Police spotted that same Audi being transported on the back of a low loader on the way to the Midlands.
The transporter was stopped at driver Daniel Hickenbottom was arrested.
The rest of the gang was slowly identified after reviewing CCTV footage, phone records, WhatsApp voice recordings and DNA and fingerprint examination.
All four were convicted last year and sentenced in October. Reporting restrictions have only just been lifted on this case.
Craig Howell, 44, of Wolverhampton, was jailed for 10 years for conspiracy to burgle, handle stolen goods and possess criminal property.Noel Reilly, 46, of Bromsgrove, was jailed for eight years and six months for conspiracy to burgle, handling stolen goods and possessing criminal property.Simon Pagett, 43, of Bloxwich, was also jailed for eight years and six months for conspiracy to burgle, handling stolen goods and possessing criminal property.Oliver Matthews, 39, of Baneberry Drive, Featherstone, was jailed for 40 months for guilty to conspiracy to burgle.Daniel Hickenbottom, 38, of Bloxwich, was jailed for three years and nine months for conspiracy to burgle, handle stolen goods and possessing criminal property.
All men had pleaded guilty.
West Midlands Police Det Sgt Tom Frenchum said: 'A huge amount of planning and preparation went into these offences and the gang showed a high level of sophistication throughout, but our detectives 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.'