Man who stole from over 500 cash machines jailed after targeting ATMs in West Yorkshire
Leeds Crown Court heard how he used a special tool to jam cashpoints open
A man targeted more than 500 cash machines across the UK in a bid to steal money has been jailed, following an investigation launched by police in West Yorkshire.
Leeds Crown Court heard 40 year old Florin Ivascu, formerly of London, used a specialised tool to jam cashpoints open during the spree, during which £40,000 was taken.
Another man, 35 year old Andrei Matei, was jailed earlier this year after admitting to theft and criminal damage in the same case.
Ivascu admitted a total of 545 thefts from cash machines.
Officers at the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU) first launched an investigation after a spate of cash machine thefts in West Yorkshire, with the pair being arrested in Nottinghamshire in 2023.
Ivascu will spend four years in prison in the UK, before being deported to his home country of Romania.
Neil Bottomley of the YHROCU said: “We received reports of a number of incidents where two men were targeting cash points in Yorkshire, but it soon became very clear while we were piecing together their activities that they were active on a nationwide scale.
“The pair were committing thefts from ATMs across most of the country and leaving a trail of damage to the machines behind them. Several other forces assisted us as part of this investigation.
“Ivascu and Matei were nothing short of prolific and I’m pleased that we have been able to finally bring them to justice and put them behind bars.”