Four gang members who smashed into Mercedes Benz World and blew up a cashpoint with a firework in Weybridge have been jailed for more than 18 years.

Surrey Comet:

Smash-and-grab: The entrance to Mercedes-Benz World

The burglars ram-raided the Brooklands showroom driving their pick-up truck through a window to steal an ATM, where they used fireworks, gas cylinders, remote ignition devices and wiring to blow open a cash machine.

The balaclava-wearing group, were also said to have sprayed security guards with something described as similar to pepper spray or tear gas at about 11.30pm on December 15 last year.

Danny Stevens, 38, Paul Smith, 24, Jason Eastwood, 41, and Luke Cole, 24, were sentenced at Guilford Crown Court on November 13 after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to steal relating to the raid and others.

Surrey Comet:

The group were sentenced to a total of 18 years behind bars

They also stole more than 60 unique trophies from the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team worth £565,000.

More than £1m worth of goods were snatched with £300,000 of the loot stolen from ATMs during a crime spree that lasted months before Operation Talorg were able to link them.

The raiders also went on a destructive rampage causing an estimated £350,000 of damage over 39 raids within the conspiracy charges, which included 12 number plate thefts, 10 stolen vehicles, 13 burglaries and four attempted thefts.

The gang also used stolen vehicles and legitimately bought others with stolen number plates to carry out their thieving plans.

Surrey Comet:

Police released CCTV images of the group raiding Mercedes Benz World on December 15

Detective Constable Matt Earl from Surrey Police led the investigation.

He said: “These men put others and themselves at risk in their chaotic and quite frankly dangerous attempts to access cash machines.

“They are incredibly fortunate not to have seriously injured members of the public who lived near to some of the cash machines, or next to a petrol station where they attempted to blow up one of the ATMs.

“They have showed absolutely no remorse and have now deservedly been brought to justice for causing thousands of pounds worth of damage to family run businesses through their reckless actions.

“They have ultimately paid the price because of their greed.”

  • Stevens, of Yately in Hampshire, who had admitted to both conspiracies but was not physically present at any offence before April 6, was sentenced to seven years
  • Smith, of Shurlock Row in Berkshire, who admitted being present at nine of the burglaries, was sentenced to six years
  • Eastwood, of Farnborough in Hampshire, denied being a conspirator to any of the burglaries before March 2015 but was involved in the last four, was sentenced to three years and four months
  • Cole, of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle but not guilty to conspiracy to steal, admitted involvement in a burglary at a Co-op in Shinfield on March 2014, and was sentenced to two years

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