ATM Heist Accused Appear in Court
Five men appeared in court today accused of "being involved in serious and organised crime" when they allegedly stole a cash machine containing over ÂŁ16,000 from a shop.
Five men appeared in court today accused of "being involved in serious and organised crime" when they allegedly stole a cash machine containing over ÂŁ16,000 from a shop.
Nanu Miah, 27, Robin Vaughan, 43, Anthony Conroy, 28, Andrew White, 26, and Carl Cavanagh, 32, were arrested following a dramatic swoop by armed cops in the car park of a McDonalds restaurant in Arbroath on Friday.
They are accused of stealing an ATM from a Co-op store in Barry Road, Carnoustie, in the early hours of the morning.
Cops shot out the wheels of a Mercedes car as they launched a surprise raid in front of shocked customers at the fast food franchise.
Police said the arrests were part of an ongoing operation involving officers from the Organised Crime Unit based at the Scottish Crime Campus and Titan, the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit in England.
Now the five men have appeared in court facing a string of charges over the incident.
They appeared in private on petition at Forfar Sheriff Court today.
During brief individual hearings the five faced a first charge of stealing a Land Rover Defender and its contents.
All five also faced a charge under the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act alleging they were involved in serious and organised crime.
The charge states that they conspired to steal the Land Rover and a Volkswagen Golf and used them in the commission of a housebreaking at the Co-op store, making off with an ATM containing ÂŁ16,100.
Maih faced further motoring charges over the incident.
He was accused of driving a Mercedes AMG car bearing false number plates without consent of the owner and without insurance.
He is further alleged to have driven dangerously in the McDonalds car park in Arbroath by "repeatedly and purposefully" reversing the car into a Volkswagen Passat estate while there were police officers standing behind it.
Miah, 27, of Birmingham, Vaughan, 43, of Liverpool, Conroy, 28, of no fixed abode, White, 26, of Liverpool, and Cavanagh, 32, of Liverpool, made no plea or declaration to the charges.
Sheriff Gregor Murray continued the cases for further examination and remanded the men in custody ahead of a further hearing next week.