Two men involved in a string of cash machine thefts that caused significant damage to businesses across Kent have been ordered to pay back over £120,000. Anthony Pemberthy and Stephen Davenport, both previously sentenced for their roles in the crimes, were brought back to court on 31 October 2024 for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing.

Pemberthy, 46, formerly of Calder Road, Maidstone, was ordered to repay £108,000, while Davenport, 63, formerly of Ashford Road, Maidstone, must pay £14,300. If they fail to hand over the money within three months, both men will face additional prison time.

The pair were originally sentenced in November 2022, with Pemberthy receiving eight years and nine months for six offences, and Davenport sentenced to seven years and five months for two offences. Their convictions were the result of an investigation by Kent Police, which utilized advanced DNA tracing techniques to link them to the crimes.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Chris Greenstreet commented, “These offences not only impacted the businesses financially but also affected the community, who were unable to access essential services. I am pleased that since these arrests, there have been no further successful incidents of this kind in Kent.”

The case relates to a series of six incidents between November 2019 and March 2021, during which diggers and pickup trucks were used to forcibly remove cash machines from business walls, causing extensive damage:

• 14 November 2019: At a Co-op on Cranbrook High Street, nearly £30,000 was stolen, and significant damage was inflicted. A pickup truck and the cash machine were later found abandoned by police in Marden.
• 25 January 2020: At an Esso petrol station in Staplehurst, the group caused around £80,000 in damage and stole £20,000.
• 23 March 2020: A Tesco Extra in Whitfield, near Dover, saw two cash machines forcibly removed. The thieves stole over £200,000 and caused £40,000 in damage. Vehicles used in the heist also rammed two police cars while fleeing the scene.
• 31 January 2021: An attempted theft at Morrisons in Northfleet resulted in severe building damage, though the offenders failed to obtain any cash.
• 28 February 2021: Another unsuccessful attempt at Tesco Express in Dymchurch caused further damage but yielded no money.
• 1 March 2021: The group succeeded in stealing around £50,000 from a Shell petrol station on the A299 Thanet Way near Dargate.

Through DNA evidence, detectives linked Davenport to the pickup trucks used in the Cranbrook and Staplehurst incidents, while Pemberthy was identified as the operator of the diggers involved in the Staplehurst, Whitfield, Northfleet, and Dymchurch offences.

Det. Supt. Greenstreet emphasized Kent Police’s commitment to preventing criminals from profiting from their crimes, stating, “We are determined to ensure criminals do not benefit from their illegal activities, and this case demonstrates our dedication to making offenders repay what they have stolen.”

The order reinforces Kent Police’s efforts to tackle organized crime and protect local businesses from similar attacks.