Black Country cash machine thieves jailed after nearly £700,000 stolen in raids at banks and shops across the UK

A gang of thieves who stole nearly £700,000 in a series of raids on cash machines at banks and shops across the UK have been jailed for more than 34 years.

The five convicts struck nine times during a crime spree lasting nearly a year - using specialist equipment including angle grinders and the jaws of life, which are used by firefighters to rescue people trapped in cars.

For their getaways they chose stolen high-performance cars, using multiple fake number plates each time.

The gang even used a flatbed truck, which was reinforced so that they could ram their way into businesses.

The gang struck in police areas including West Mercia, Leicestershire, Avon and Somerset, Bedfordshire, Greater Manchester, Cumbria, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Staffordshire.

The West Midlands Major Crime Unit (MCU) began a hunt for the gang after they linked the crimes around the country, identifying that they were based in the West Midlands. 

Leading on the investigation, the MCU worked closely with other national forces piecing the evidence together.

The gang's downfall

The gang’s downfall came when they booked out two holiday lets in Cumbria to act as a base of operations while they struck in the county on three consecutive days, from 11 August 2024.

They forced open cash machines at three shops, stealing more than £128,000 in the process, using a stolen Audi as the getaway vehicle.

But a police officer spotted the gang’s stolen Audi being transported on a low loader back to the Midlands. 

The transporter was stopped and the driver, Daniel Hickenbottom, was arrested. His job was to transport the stolen vehicles before and after the crimes on a low loader to avoid detection.

Buying clothes for crime

A major investigation followed and identified the rest of the gang, through analysis of CCTV, mobile phone records, WhatsApp voice recordings and forensic examinations including fingerprints and DNA.

Noel Reilly, Craig Howell and Simon Pagett would plan and carry out the raids, buying clothing to wear on the break ins and arriving in stolen cars with the right tools to break into the cash machines.

During the investigation, WMP officers recovered a WhatsApp audio recording from Reilly, boasting that police had no 'concrete evidence' against the gang. Eleven days later, the police 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. He would drive around the country after crimes to assist the gang.

They were convicted last year and sentenced in October, but for legal reasons the sentences handed to the gang can only now be reported.

• Craig Howell, 44, of Hatfield Drive, Wolverhampton, was convicted of conspiracy to burgle, handle stolen goods and possess criminal property. He was jailed for 10 years.

• Noel Reilly, aged 46, of Appletrees Crescent, Bromsgrove pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle, handling stolen goods and possessing criminal property. He was jailed for eight years and six months.

• Simon Pagett, aged 43, of Dartford Road, Bloxwich pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle, handling stolen goods and possessing criminal property. He was also jailed for eight years and six months.

• Oliver Matthews, 39, of Baneberry Drive, Featherstone pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle. He was jailed for 40 months.

• Daniel Hickenbottom, 38, of Chantry Avenue, Bloxwich, was convicted of conspiracy to burgle, handle stolen goods and possessing criminal property. He was jailed for three years and nine months.

The Real CSI

Det Sgt Tom Frenchum, from the WMP 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 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.’’

The full story of how we brought down the gang will feature in an upcoming episode of BBC Two’s Forensics: The Real CSI.

A spokesperson for WMP said: “The success is part of Operation Target, our 24/7 efforts to target those involved in serious and organised crime around the West Midlands.

“Our officers work around the clock to target those involved in guns, drugs, money laundering and exploitation.

“Find out more, and how you can help, here 👉 Operation Target | West Midlands Police”