Gang of four broke into stores via roof to steal from ATM

A gang of four men have been jailed for stealing more than £50,000 from ATMs in Warrington, Wakefield and Telford.

Mark Edwards, 47, Sean Devereux, 30, Peter O’Neill, 41, and Liam Doherty, 39, were arrested from their Merseyside homes by Cheshire Police in December 2019, following the investigation into a burglary at Nisa Local on Glover Road, Warrington.

The gang broke into the Locking Stumps store via the roof in the early hours of 3 October, and stole almost £50,000 by forcing open the ATM with an angle grinder.

Police said they were able to gather clinching evidence linking the four to the incident after speaking to various witnesses, examining hundreds of hours of CCTV footage and conducting forensic enquiries.

In the process, the detectives at Warrington Beat Initiative Team also found evidence linking the men to two other ATM attacks in Wakefield and Telford.

The incident in Wakefield took place at around 9pm on 12 November at Premier Store in Havercroft. Once again, the group broke into the store via the roof and used an angle grinder to force open the ATM machine, stealing more than £5,000.

Over a week later, on 21 November, the gang targeted the One Stop Shop on Wellington Road in Telford. This time, they forced entry via the front door and, after unsuccessfully attempting to open the cash machine, stole more than £14,000 worth of cigarettes.

“The businesses they targeted were recognised as providing important services to our local communities and the devastation of these incidents should not be underestimated,” said Det Con Ian Morris, of Warrington Beat Initiative Team, who led the investigation.

“Not only did they cause thousands of pounds worth of damage, but they also had a profound impact on other businesses and residents within the local area.”

Liverpool Crown Court on 27 February sentenced Edwards, of Helston Green, Huyton, for 5 years in prison; Devereux, of Quarry Green, Northwood and O’Neill, of Murcote Road, Liverpool, for 4 years and six months each and Doherty, of Hansby Drive, Liverpool for 3 years and nine months.

The men had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary with intent to steal.