An organised criminal gang which used explosives to try and steal from 14 cash machines in Southampton and across Hampshire have been jailed for a combined 54 years.

A Southampton man and four Hampshire men took part in a vast series of “well organised and orchestrated” criminal activities to the cost of approximately £1.2million in total loss and damage.

The incidents over the nine-month period across three counties included burglaries and car thefts, as well as the ATM incidents.

Winchester Crown Court heard that between April 2019 and January 2020, they used crowbars, oxyacetylene gas and petrol to blow up ATMs and steal tens of thousands of pounds in cash.

This included incidents at Stop ‘n’ Shop in Sholing on August 14, 2019, at Co-op, Spring Road, Sholing on January 20, 2020, and Santander, Burgess Road, on January 20, 2020.

Daily Echo: Sholing cash machine robbery. August 14, 2019Sholing cash machine robbery. August 14, 2019

Other areas hit included the Post Office in West End on September 3, 2019, the Co-op Store in Stubbington on September 9, 2019, and Tesco Express in Bishopstoke on September 11, 2019.

The group members were not all involved in all of the attacks, and just three of the 14 attempts were successful, totalling more than £61,000 stolen. 

Yet, the group was responsible for £250,000 in damage, £99,500 in vehicle thefts and £146,000 in domestic and commercial burglaries.

Southampton man Cameron Chivers, 24, of Lydgate Road appeared in person at Winchester Crown Court alongside co-defendents Adam Jones, 31, from Fareham; Colin Golding, 26, from Farnborough; and Jesse Matthews, 21, from Bordon. Ringleader David “Paddy” Hughes of Street End Close, Rotherwick appeared via video-link.

Their charges ranged from conspiracy to cause an explosion, to conspiracy to steal, and conspiracy to burgle. 

Hughes, Jones and Golding Opening proceedings on Monday, prosecutor Mark Ruffell said that Hughes and Jones were “prolific” criminals who met in prison and were at the forefront of the attacks.

They carried out the attacks while on license from prison, recruiting the others.

Mr Ruffell said: “What distinguishes the offenders in this case, is that the ATM attacks were like large waves in a sea of crime and were treated like another day’s work by those involved.”

The court heard how all of the incidents were carried out “in the dead of night” and on more than one occasion, the occupants of the property targeted lay asleep inside.

Sentencing the men on today, Her Honour Judge Angela Morris described the attacks as “well organised and orchestrated” and “motivated by unadulterated greed with no thought for other innocent parties”.

She added that the lack of success in 11 of their attempts was “hardly compelling mitigation” adding: “In all 14 cases you did not fail to cause the explosions - those certainly happened. The only failure was that your concrete efforts did not cause the ATMs to give up their contents, it was not for want of trying.”

She continued: “None of you gave a moments thought to the dangers you placed those innocent and unsuspecting residents, or the trauma they would undoubtedly experience.”

The judge handed Hughes 17 years imprisonment, with concurrent sentences for further counts.

Jones received 13-and-a-half years, Golding nine years, Chivers eight years and four months, and Matthews six years and eight months.

In total, the group were handed 54-and-a-half years in custody.

Hughes, Jones and Golding will also be subject to Serious Crime Prevention Orders, with the details to be decided at a later date. All of the materials, including mobile phones and other equipment, seized as part of police investigations are to be destroyed.