Six charged over masked cash machine robberies in Leighton Buzzard

Six people have been charged as part of an investigation into a string of raids on cash machines around the country.

There were two offences in Leighton Buzzard – one on March 28 at a cash machine on Hockliffe Street, and one on September 4 at Morrisons, Lake Street.

A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "Our Major Crime Unit have been investigating an organised gang which used stolen Audis and a flat-bed truck as they broke into cash machines between March and September this year.

"The gang used ‘jaws of life’ – cutting equipment used by firefighters to free people from trapped vehicles – as they targeted the cash machines.

"Hundreds of thousands of pounds has been stolen in a series of nine attacks on cash machines, with the gang striking in Cumbria, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Leighton Buzzard and Towcester near Milton Keynes."

West Midlands Police officers raided addresses around the Midlands and in Carlisle on Tuesday (October 15), and last night (October 16) five men and a woman were charged.

Simon Pagett, aged 43, of Bloxwich, Noel Reilly, aged 45, of Bromsgrove, and Craig Howell, aged 43, of Bilston are all charged with conspiracy to commit burglary with intent to steal, conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary with intent, conspiracy to handle stolen goods and money laundering.

Oliver Matthews, aged 38, of Featherstone, Staffordshire, Martyn Smith, aged 43, of Carlisle, and Helen Pagett, aged 49, of Bloxwich, are all charged with conspiracy to commit burglary, conspiracy to handle stolen goods, and money laundering.

All appeared before Wolverhampton magistrates today (Thursday).

The charges come not long after the raid at Morrisons.

Last month, Bedfordshire Police were alerted at 2.50am on September 4 to reports that people were trying to cut out the cash machines at the Lake Street supermarket.

Bedfordshire Police stated: "Three masked offenders used angle grinders to break open the cash machines. They escaped with a quantity of cash. A white transit van was left at the scene. No injuries were reported."