A man from Eastleigh has become the seventh to be jailed over a huge burglary conspiracy which saw at least £450,000 in cash stolen from ATMs across the country.
James Anthony Hocking, 38, of Coniston Gardens in Eastleigh, is the latest to be sentenced for his involvement in a criminal gang that targeted Co-op stores across the UK.
Once damage was taken into account, the cost caused by the gang totalled more than £600,000.
The gang forced entry into stores and stole cash from ATMs in a series of break-ins which spanned from Somerset to Norfolk, including locations in Hampshire, Sussex, Kent, Berkshire, Bedfordshire, Staffordshire, and Wales.
READ MORE: Gang who stole £33k from shops jailed for a decade
Hocking was sentenced to four years in prison earlier this week after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary.
He was linked to at least 14 offences committed between April 2022 and September 2023.
Also sentenced this week was Stephanie Seton-Smith.
READ MORE: 'Feral' Southampton gang jailed for £600k burglary campaign across 25 counties
The 25-year-old, of Bodycoats Road, Chandler's Ford, was roped into the conspiracy when Liam Attrill - who was previously jailed for three years and four months - asked her if the gang could borrow her car, using it for break-ins as far afield as Northampton and Norwich.
The group even picked up a speeding ticket while using the car, however Seton-Smith provided false details of the driver on three occasions.
It was heard each time she let them use her vehicle she received £300.
During the sentencing of Attrill, judge Christopher Parker KC said he had been to blame for involving Seton-Smith, but that she had made her own decisions and had needed little encouragement.
She was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years, for assisting an offender and perverting the course of justice. She must also complete 300 hours of unpaid work and 25 rehabilitation days.
Six other men from Eastleigh and Southampton were previously jailed for a combined total of 28 years following a six-week trial at Winchester Crown Court.
The group used stolen, hired, or borrowed vehicles—often fitted with cloned number plates—and armed themselves with crowbars to gain entry to shops and steal cash.
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