George Jones, 31, received a prison sentence of four years and nine months at Maidstone Crown Court on Thursday, 23 March 2023. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle and dangerous driving following a failed cash machine robbery attempt.
The incident took place in the early hours of 6 April 2022 at a Co-Op store located on Station Road, Longfield. Around 4am, two vans arrived at the scene, with one van smashing through the front window of the store.
A strap was tied around the cash machine inside the store and connected to the chassis bar of the second van. The offenders made two unsuccessful attempts to pull the cash machine free. During the second attempt, the chassis bar of the van snapped.
The group then quickly switched to a third van parked nearby on Sandbanks Hill and sped away.
Kent Police identified the third getaway van and pursued it on the M25 motorway. The chase involved dangerous driving including running red lights, driving the wrong way down a dual carriageway, and reaching speeds over 100 mph.
The pursuit ended in a park in Banstead, Surrey, where the suspects abandoned the van. George Jones was found hiding under a bush by a police dog, with assistance from Surrey and Metropolitan Police officers. A shirt linking Jones to the crime scene and vehicle was found nearby, confirming his involvement.
This conviction follows previous jail sentences for similar offences in Kent. Last year, two men were jailed for a combined total of over 16 years for six related crimes committed between 2019 and 2021. Another man received a five-year sentence for a smash-and-grab in Canterbury in November 2021.
Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Greenstreet of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said, “With a fourth man now serving a lengthy prison term for this kind of offending, the message to criminals is clear: Come to Kent to steal cash machines and you will be caught and jailed.”
He added, “I would like to praise officers from Kent, Surrey, and the Metropolitan Police for tracking down this man despite his dangerous escape attempts. Measures are now in place to prevent future offences, and I hope businesses here feel safer knowing those behind these crimes are behind bars.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
