A man was sentenced to prison for his role in an attempt to steal a cash machine from the wall of a shop in Canterbury.   On Wednesday, September 7, 2022, James Collins was sentenced to five years and five months in prison at Canterbury Crown Court after admitting to burglary at a previous hearing.   Officers were dispatched to the St Martin’s Hill shop shortly after 2.30 a.m. on Friday, November 12, 2021.   A group of criminals stole a digger from a nearby construction site and used it to destroy a wall surrounding a cash machine.   Collins, who was wearing a balaclava, was driving an Isuzu Trooper, which collided with an approaching police car.   After a second patrol vehicle made tactical contact with the Isuzu, Collins attempted to flee on foot before being Tasered and arrested by officers.   The digger and cash machine were left in the road, and two other vehicles involved, a Range Rover and a tipper truck, fled the scene in the direction of Littlebourne.   They were pursued down a country lane, where the tipper truck repeatedly collided with a police car, blocking the road, before the remaining offenders fled in the Range Rover.   Collins, 30, of Lenham Heath, Maidstone, was charged the next day by Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate officers.   The cash in the cash machine was recovered by police, but the building was severely damaged.   ‘This was an organised effort to steal money, and the group didn’t care what harm came to members of the public or police officers who got in their way,’ said Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Chris Greenstreet.   ‘I am pleased that the officers’ quick response on the night resulted in the arrest and imprisonment of this dangerous man.’ My team will continue to look for the other people involved.   ‘In response to the incident, the group repeatedly rammed police cars, and the case demonstrates the bravery of response officers in being the first on the scene of challenging and unpredictable situations.’   –