Men steal almost £50k from Alexandra Palace cash machines in 2am raid

Six men who stole £46,590 from two Alexandra Palace cash machines have been sentenced.

On August 19, 2019 at around 2am, three of the men gained entry to the building through the main doors using bolt-cutters.

The thieves from Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Brentwood were sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court on October 29.

Once inside Alexandra Palace, they used power tools to sever the connections on the ATMs and detach the machines. A fourth man drove to the venue and the men placed one of the ATMs into the back of a van, while a fifth. in another vehicle, acted as lookout, before the group drove away.

At 4.25am the gang returned to the venue and detached the second ATM. The van pulled up outside and they all drove off with the second machine.

The ATMs were found separately by members of the public in Fairmead Road, Loughton and Hoe Lane, Abridge.

The vehicles were found abandoned near The Croft, Chingford by officers on routine patrol. 

DC Will Man said: "Diligent policing, thorough detective work and a strong collaboration with prosecution counsel, David Harounoff and Brinder Soora, have led to these convictions and the sentences handed down today."

An Alexandra Palace spokesperson said: “We are grateful to the police for their support on this incident. We continue to work closely with them and our onsite security to improve our resilience and ensure that there are robust crime prevention measures in place across the site.”

Aaron Noah, 32, of Harpley Square, Tower Hamlets pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary. He also pleaded guilty to a burglary at the Nat West bank in Whitechapel on June 28, 2019. He was jailed for four years and two months.

Kyle Shillingford-Small, 33, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary. He was jailed for four years and two months.

Robert Neville, 42,  of Cliveden Close, Brentwood pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods. He was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, and 80 hours' unpaid work.

The other men were convicted after a trial in September.

Jason Hardcastle, 35, of Withy Mead, Waltham Forest was found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary and jailed for three years and nine months.

Abdirazak Yassin, 23, of Approach Road, Tower Hamlets was found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary. He was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, and 150 hours' unpaid work.

Hassan Ibrahim, 24, of Vernon Road, Tower Hamlets was found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary. He was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, and 150 hours' unpaid work.