A MASKED gang who tried to smash their way into a cashpoint at a petrol station during the early hours of the morning have been jailed.
Career criminal Ras Thomas, 38, from Newport, and Thomas Hagans, also 38, from Birmingham, used crowbars in the raid in Pontypool last year.
The pair, and another man, targeted the ATM at the Texaco garage on Osborne Road in Pontnewynydd on August 22, 2019.
Ras Thomas
Cardiff Crown Court heard how Hagans, of Wilkinson Close, Sutton Coldfield, was caught when a police dog was set on him after a member of the public raised the alarm.
MORE NEWS
- Man faces lengthy jail sentence after admitting explosives charges
- ‘Arrogant’ drug dealer who was 'using schoolboy runner to sell cannabis'
- Ram raid gang member jailed for daring heist at supermarket
He was jailed for 20 months in September 2019 after he admitted attempted theft and criminal damage.
Thomas, of Morlais Mews, Newport, was arrested after DNA evidence from a crowbar left at the scene linked him to the crime.
Detectives also connected him to a Volkswagen Golf used in the raid by analysing ANPR records.
The police presence at the petrol station
He was sent to prison for 25 months after he pleaded guilty to attempted theft and criminal damage.
Prosecutor Paul Hewitt said: “There was significant planning in this case.
“They arrived in a convoy, they wore dark clothing, their faces were covered with hoods and they were armed with a crowbar to do the job.”
The gang were also carrying a hammer and screwdriver.
Thomas, he told the court, had 18 previous convictions for 37 offences.
He has served previous custodial sentences for robbery, affray and possession of an offensive weapon and possession of heroin with intent to supply.
Officers retrieved vital evidence from the crime scene
Laura Collier, mitigating, said: “The defendant is a father-of-four who has yet to meet his youngest child due to the pandemic.”
Judge Tracey Lloyd Clarke said ANPR evidence showed how the gang had driven across the Severn Bridge, gone to the Pill area of Newport before carrying out the failed raid at around 2am.
She told Thomas: “You travelled deliberately from outside the area to commit the offence.
“This was carefully planned.
“A witness saw you duck down at the garage every time a car went past before he phoned the police.”
The judge said the gang caused £6,500 of damage and it is unknown how much money was inside the cashpoint.
No cash was stolen.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel