THREE men were jailed today for the roles they played in the theft of an ATM from a rural filling station in Co Antrim.
Patrick Close (23) from Beechview Courtyard in Crumlin, 25-year old David McClurkin from Craigburn in Antrim and Lee Wilson (33) from Ballyutoag Road in Belfast all admitted taking part in the ATM theft in April 2019.
While Wilson was handed a sentence of four-and-a-half years as he made early admissions to police, both Close and McClurkin - who initially denied involvement - were sentenced to five years and three months.
Judge Stephen Fowler QC imposed the sentence at Belfast Crown Court and told the trio - who all appeared via a videolink with Maghaberry - their sentences will be divided equally between prison and supervised licence.
They pleaded guilty to stealing the ATM from service station at Tully Road in Nutts Corner, which was valued at £16,000 and which contained £59,090.
They also admitted two counts of criminal damage on the same date - namely causing damage to the service station, and causing damage to a blue Land Rover.
Whilst all three eventually admitted taking part, the court heard it was clear there was involvement from "other persons unknown in this operation."
As he jailed all three men, Judge Fowler said that whilst he accepted none of them planned the operation, their actions had an impact not just on the business targeted but also on the local community.
