A gang of ATM scouts have had an extended prison sentence

The ‘scout’ of a series of ATM thefts that caused damage and losses worth more than £1 million is to have an almost two-year extension, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

Senior judges have ruled that the original sentence of five years and eight months imposed on Kenneth Clarke for his role in the ATM attacks in Co Antrim was unduly lenient.

The 32-year-old, of Broughshane Lane, Cullybackey, will be sentenced to seven years and six months in prison.

High Court Judge Dame Siobhan Keegan said: “The sentences in this case must have a deterrent effect, given the outrage that this type of persistent, reckless offending causes, and the financial loss and damage caused to local businesses.”

Clarke and co-defendant Jamie McConnell, 31, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft, conspiracy to commit arson and conspiracy to commit criminal damage in connection with raids on commercial properties between October 2018 and December 2019 r.

McConnell, of Upper Hightown Road, Belfast, was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison in February.

A gang of thieves used stolen excavators to rip out ATMs, load them onto a trailer and then empty the cash contents at other locations.

Nine different businesses were targeted in a series of criminal attacks, and the vehicles used in the attacks were set on fire to destroy any evidence.

Clarke accepted conspiracy charges in connection with six ATM thefts and obtaining a vehicle used in two attacks.

The court heard he was called a “scout” or “spotter” during some of the offenses.

Losses from these specific incidents were estimated to include £550,000 in stolen cash, £472,000 in property damage and a further £153,000 in arson damage.

McConnell was involved in two ATM thefts in April 2019 when £263,000 in cash was taken and damage was estimated at almost £300,000.

Although none of the defendants could be identified as having removed the ATMs, handled the cash or destroyed the property, they pleaded guilty as part of a joint venture.

The Director of Public Prosecutions referred both men’s sentences back to the Court of Appeal, seeking an increase in their sentences.

Although Dame Siobhan admitted Clarke was not the main instigator of the criminal operation, she said he still bore much of the blame.

“(His) offenses continued over a significant period of time and included a significant number of incidents causing damage worth over £1 million,” the President of the Supreme Court stressed.

“With so many incidents like this, involving such high levels of harm, we are fully convinced that this sentence was not only lenient, but excessively lenient.”

She confirmed: “In Clarke’s case, we propose to grant referral leave and replace a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence.”

However, the court decided not to change the sentence imposed on McConnell due to his lesser role in the conspiracy.

“His offending lasted a very short period of time, approximately 16 days, compared to Clarke who committed his offence over 14 months,” Dame Siobhan added.

“Furthermore, the damage caused by McConnell was not as extensive as that caused by Clarke, although it was still at a significant level.”