Group jailed for attacking police and targeting cash machines
AGANG of thieves have been jailed for attacking police and cutting their way into a number of cash machines, including in Gloucestershire.
The gang, from Birmingham, targeted the Tesco Express on Hewlett Road, in Cheltenham last year.
The attack was just one of over a dozen they carried out across the country over the space of a year between 2022 and 2023. The gang, which consisted of four men, used stolen vehicles to target a number of shops and threatened anyone who got in their way.
Following an investigation by West Midlands Police, the criminals admitted taking part in 17 different offences. Reece Pedley, 34, John O’shaughnessy, 36, Justin Buckley, 40, and Chris Hands, 37, were identified in November and December last year before pleading guilty to conspiracy to burgle and conspiracy to handle stolen vehicles and goods.
The first offence took place in Warwickshire in 2022. Police said a gang broke into a station and stole around £50,000 worth of specialist tools.
On August 31 last year, Pedley was among a group of men who arrived at Snappy Tomato Pizza in Coventry and used specialist cutting equipment to steal thousands of pounds from the cash machine. Then on September 7, all four of the men struck at Tesco in Cheltenham.
A stolen BMW on false plates pulled up and three of the gang used a saw and crowbars to force their way into a cash machine, while a fourth acted as a lookout. As police arrived, the gang threw rocks and bricks at them, forcing one of the officers to crouch behind his car. Another threw a brick at the front passenger window where an officer was sitting.
The gang then rammed the police car out of the way before fleeing the scene. They also caused damage estimated to cost over £1million to a Tesco Express and a neighbouring baker’s when sparks from an angle grinder they used caused a fire in Kenilworth.
West Midlands Police said: “Our Major Crime Proactive Team worked with officers at West Mercia, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, Thames Valley and Wiltshire Police. Using a combina
tion of mobile phone data, CCTV, vehicle tracking data and witness accounts, the gang was identified and arrested in November and December last year.
“At Birmingham Crown Court on Monday, (8 April) Justin Buckley, aged 40, of Brindle Court, Hall Green, Birmingham, was jailed for eight years and four months.
“Chris Hands, aged 37, of Addison Road, Kings Heath, was jailed for nine years and six months. In addition to the conspiracy charges, he admitted a charge of burglary.
“Reece Pedley, aged 34, Pendeen Road, Yardley Wood, was jailed for seven years and seven months. John O’shaughnessy, aged 36, of Playdon Grove, Kings Heath, was jailed for eight years.”
DC Edward Costello, from our Major Crime Proactive Team, added: “This was a professional and organised criminal
gang who stole hundreds of thousands of pounds from businesses, and weren’t afraid to use force to get what they wanted.
“They threatened and used significant force against civilians and police who tried to intervene, and they were persistent. On one day, they broke into a Tesco Express near Oxford, but found the cash machine empty. Two hours later, they struck at a Tesco Express in Warwickshire.
“They knew where these machines were and how to access them. Everyone knew their role, whether it was acting as a lookout or cutting into the machines.
“The theft of the equipment obviously compromised the ability of the fire service to protect communities. Thankfully, we’ve now brought them to justice and they will be spending many years behind bars.”