Members of a ram-raid gang who stole more than £30,000 from a Kimbolton bank have been ordered to pay back almost £110,000.
Ivan Hutchinson, 29, of Brington Road, Brington, Ebby Hall and Kevin Smith were jailed in July last year for stealing an ATM after smashing into Barclays Bank, in High Street, in a stolen JCB in September 2012.
At a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing at Peterborough Crown Court on Thursday (January 16), each of the trio was ordered to pay back £36,658.33 - the total criminal benefit calculated from £34,190 from the ATM and £75,000 for cars they stole to carry out the raid.
The court also ordered a BMW 320D, a Bailey Pageant caravan and a ride-on lawnmower, seized by police, to be destroyed or sold at auction.
All three have six months to pay or face a further six months in jail.
A further hearing next month is being held for Richard Clues, a fourth member of the gang.
Paul Prosser, Economic Crime Unit manager, said: “This case shows we will pursue criminals to ensure they don’t make a penny from their criminality. “Despite only getting away with £34,000, they must now pay back more than three times that amount.
“This should serve as a warning to anyone who thinks they can make easy money through crime. The message is simple: Crime does not pay.”
Hutchinson, Hall, Smith and Clues hatched a scheme to steal high powered vehicles, disguised them with faked number plates, then carried out the smash and grab operation.
After ramming through a wall of the bank, the ATM was ripped out and loaded onto a Ford Focus which had been stolen from Wootton, Bedfordshire, nine days prior.
A Land Rover which had been stolen from Crowland on September 24 was seen nearby.
A BMW, which had been stolen in Norfolk in July 2012, was spotted being driven by a man in a balaclava along the A605 at 125mph shortly afterwards. Police followed the vehicle to the Norwood Road traveller site in Peterborough. The driver reversed, ramming the police car several times before eventually stopping and the occupants ran off. Officers gave chase and Hall was arrested nearby.
An angle grinder and faked number plates were discovered in the boot of the BMW.
The Land Rover, Ford Focus and ATM were all found burned out in a copse of trees the following day in Keyston.
Hall, 45, of White Post Road South, Eye, and Smith, 29, of Claylake, Spalding, admitted conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and conspiracy to burgle.
Clues, 60, of Risby, Bretton, Peterborough denied conspiracy to steal vehicles but admitted converting/disguising criminal property in relation to making number plates.
Hutchinson initially denied any involvement, claiming he was not linked to one of the mobile phones. However, he changed his plea when it emerged that one of the key contacts within the phones was his wife.
He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and conspiracy to burgle.
Hutchinson was jailed for seven years and two months, Hall and Smith were both sentenced to five years and three months, with Hall given a further 10 months to run consecutively for breaching a suspended sentence.
Clues was jailed for 18 months.
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