DANGEROUS CRIMINAL WHO BLEW UP CASH MACHINES JAILED

POST OFFICE IN COUNTY WAS TARGET OF CRIMINAL GANG

A CROOK who tried to blow up a Leicestershire town’s Post Office cash machine during a series of raids across the country has been jailed for 11 years.

George Tunney, 24, began his crime spree on Monday, January 6 last year when he targeted three cash machines in the Doncaster and Hull areas by filling them with an explosive liquid or gas and igniting it.

The next day, he carried out two further raids, this time in Grantham, in Lincolnshire and Mansfield, in Nottinghamshire.

The five raids were unsuccessful but caused significant damage to the buildings and left the owners with large repair bills, police said.

A few days later on Friday, January 10, Tunney raided a service station near York and this time was successful, getting away with about £57,000.

Again, he left a scene of destruction.

Apparently, after a pause, he embarked on a second spate of crimes, which led him to Leicestershire on Wednesday, March 4 when he and three accomplices failed to blow open the Shepshed Post Office cash machine to release the money inside.

They pulled up outside the Market Place shop at 12.30am and pumped gas or liquid into the ATM and lit a fuse to cause an explosion.

Again, their efforts ended in failure and they fled empty-handed. Leicestershire Police later released footage showing the bungled raid.

Also in March, Tunney carried out two further attacks in Yorkshire, one in Harrogate and one near Doncaster - one of these netted him about £35,000, police said.

Police caught up with Tunney, who is originally from Doncaster, in the early hours of Friday, March 10 when officers near York spotted a stolen vehicle which had been used in one of the raids.

Officers from North Yorkshire Police were authorised to pursue the car as it sped off at 100mph.

They caught up after it was driven the wrong way around a roundabout before it crashed into the car park barriers at the McArthur Glen York Designer Outlet.

The occupants made a run for it, but their location was given away when a police helicopter was called in and officers on board spotted a heat source close to the River Ouse.

Tunney and his accomplices were found hiding in a tree nearby and were arrested.

Frederick Squires,

38, and a 16-year-old boy, have already been before the courts and sentenced in November last year for their roles in the crimes in March.

Squires of Castleacre Road, Swaffham, Norfolk, pleaded guilty conspiracy to commit burglary, conspiracy to cause explosions and aggravated vehicle taking.

The 16-year-old, who is from Doncaster, was found guilty after a trial of conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to cause explosions.

Squires was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison and was disqualified from driving for seven years and three months. The teen, who cannot be named because of his age, received a twoyear detention and training order. Tunney was arrested and charged with conspiracy to cause explosions, conspiracy to burgle, theft and handling stolen goods following the offences committed in January and March 2020. Each offence was carried out using stolen vehicles and was caught on CCTV.

He was sentenced at York Crown Court after pleading guilty to all charges. He was jailed for 11 years and banned from driving for eight years. North Yorkshire Police released details of the hearing. Detective Superintendent Fran Naughton, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “The sentence given to Tunney is a clear demonstration that this type of crime will not be tolerated. “Not only did Tunney and his associates endanger many lives through the dangerous use of explosives, some of which were deployed at fuel forecourts, they caused well in excess of £60,000 damage to a number of businesses.

“These businesses provide essential local services to their communities and many were out of use for extended periods of time whilst repairs were made.”

JAILED: George Tunney and accomplices struck at Shepshed post office ATM last March

Tunney and his associates endangered many lives through the dangerous use of explosives

Police