Cash Machine Thieves Jailed For 20 Years

20/02/2012

David Owens, Kevin Caveney, Shaun Ennis and Robin Vaughan have been sentenced at Preston Crown Court to over 20 years imprisonment in total for their part in a highly organised conspiracy to attack and steal cash machines across England.

The offences took place at college premises, leisure park complexes, service stations and conference centres throughout the country.  They entered premises, disabling sensors and breaking into or stealing freestanding cash machines.  Various tools were used to access the machines and substantial amounts of money taken.  Tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused.

David Owens, Kevin Caveney and Shaun Ennis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary.  Robert Vaughan pleaded guilty to assisting an offender by picking up the offenders after one of the offences.

The gang targeted machines in Worcestershire, Derbyshire, Cleveland, North Yorkshire and Cornwall, over seven months from January last year.  The four were caught and identified via CCTV after police began a surveillance operation following the burglaries in 2011.

John Dilworth, Head of CPS North West Area Complex Casework Unit said:  "This was persistent, widespread and highly organised criminality involving a number of burglaries.  The locations targeted were hundreds of miles apart and these crimes required a great deal of planning.

"The defendants were identified from CCTV footage.  They pleaded guilty when faced with the substantial evidence against them.

"The CPS will continue to work closely with the police to ensure that offenders involved in such crime are brought to justice."

David Owens was jailed for 7 years, Kevin Caveney for 5 years 9 months, Shaun Ennis for 6 years 6 months and Robin Vaughan for 18 months.

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