Man Jailed for Stealing £19,000 from Cash Machines Across the UK

A man went to jail for stealing money from ATMs across the UK, including in Bristol, Somerset, and Wiltshire. Andrei Matei stole over £19,000 in total and caused over £30,000 in damage.

Matei, who received a 27-month prison sentence, is Romanian and will be deported upon his release.

He and an accomplice jammed ATMs using a specialized tool, allowing them to access the cash inside. The investigation began in West Yorkshire, and officers discovered Matei’s visits to Bath, Radstock, and Devizes.

Officers reviewed CCTV footage from locations in West Yorkshire, London, Wiltshire, Nottinghamshire, and Berkshire. Police apprehended Matei in Nottinghamshire on September 1, 2023. He stole from over 20 ATMs that August, primarily targeting petrol stations.

He pleaded guilty to 483 counts of theft and damage and was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court. The 35-year-old, formerly of Manchester, received 27 months in prison.

His ATM theft spree began on August 9, 2023, in Huddersfield and Bradford, followed by Mirfield and Castleford later that month. Wakefield and Nottingham ATMs were hit on August 11, and Abingdon and Newbury were targeted on August 11 and 12. Further thefts occurred on August 14 in Salisbury and Bath (twice), and in Radstock, Devizes, and Salisbury on August 15. He targeted North Weald on August 16, Stopsley, Bedfordshire on August 21, and Nottingham again on August 23.