Brothers jailed over cash machine tampering thefts

Two brothers who targeted cash machines across the UK in a "sophisticated" conspiracy have been sentenced.

Cristian and Felix Urcaciu used homemade metal devices to divert money dispensed by the machines.

Nottinghamshire Police said cash machines in Derbyshire, Leeds, Leicester, Nottinghamshire, Sheffield, Scotland and Wakefield were tampered with between May and August 2023.

At Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday, Cristian Urcaciu was jailed for two years and nine months, while Felix Urcaciu - who was not in attendance and was tried in his absence earlier this year - was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.

The court heard suspicions were raised after an investigator at the National Cash Register noticed "a sticky residue" at some cash machines that were being serviced.

This led to an examination of CCTV, where Felix was seen using his card to check his bank account balance before the metal devices were fitted.

Gregor Purcell, prosecuting, said the brothers made the devices so that cash customers were requesting was "trapped by the piece of metal rather than being dispensed".

"A long piece of metal was folded into a V-shape, [and] inside the V a sticky glue-like substance was applied," he said.

"There had been widespread use of these devices."

Felix was arrested on 2 August 2023 and a metal hook used to retrieve the devices was found in his pocket.

More devices were found in his car, and a workshop was found in a property where the brothers were living in Barnsley at which they were made.

The court heard the amount of losses reported exceeded £25,000, which was described as likely to be only part of the total amount taken.

Cristian, 37, of Upper Sheffield Road in Barnsley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal and concealing criminal property, while 34-year-old Felix, previously of Thomas Street in Selby, was found guilty at a trial in his absence of conspiracy to steal, concealing criminal property and possessing criminal property.

Sentencing, Judge Mark Watson said the brothers acted together to make the devices and target cash machines, and would have taken far more money had the investigation not led to their arrests.

"This offending overall concerns a sophisticated and a sustained conspiracy to steal cash from ATMs," he said.

"There must be many hundreds of victims whose cash wasn't dispensed to them."

The judge told Cristian that although his brother had fitted the devices, "you both played integral roles and bear equal blame", and said deposits into multiple bank accounts "was to avoid suspicion and to give an air of legitimacy to that money".

"This was a conspiracy which involved a very large number of individual thefts, and significant inconvenience to many," he said.

"It was your intention, I have no doubt, to continue stealing in the way that you had been."

Listen to BBC Radio Nottingham on Sounds and follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.