Co Armagh ATM was gone in 60 seconds Newry Court told as Armagh man charged with its theft denied bail

Sean Paul Donnelly (22) from Navan Street in Armagh is accused of a series of offences relating to the theft of the ATM on December 20, 2022.

He is accused of the theft of the machine, valued at £10k or thereabouts belonging to Cardtronics. He is also charged with the theft of an excavator and a trailer, arson of an excavator and criminal damage to the business premises on the same date.

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He is further charged of possession of a firearm in suspicious circumstances, possession of a handgun without a firearm certificate on December 21, 2022.

A detective from the Organised Crime Unit in Belfast told Newry Magistrates Court: “In the early hours of Tuesday, December 20 at around 4.45am police received a report of an attack alarm at an ATM at the Fruitfield Supervalu.”

He explained that when police arrived, the ATM machine was ripped from its purpose-built annex housing. The detective told the judge there was an attack at that site several years prior so the annex was purposely built.

An excavator, which was stolen from a field across the road, was discovered on fire. The detective said: “In summary, a digger has been stolen across the road, driven straight across the forecourt and has been used to cause in excess of around £100,000 of damage to the ATM annex. I personally viewed the CCTV and this operation took less than 60 seconds. They have driven along, smashed the building to bits. A white Ford transit has pulled up alongside which appears to be pulling a trailer. The digger has then been used and it was with some expertise that it was scooped up and placed into the back of the trailer.

"The driver of the Ford Transit exits the vehicle goes around to the digger and sets it on fire and they escape from the forecourt,” he said.

"This happened in the space of 60 seconds giving police the indication that this is the action of a professional group who know what they’re at.”

“The ATM machine was fitted with a tracker. Colleagues from the Armed Response Unit have then be guided to the vicinity of 60 Moy Road,” he said, adding that police disturbed two men who were in the process of angle grinding open the ATM machine and who ran off.

"I have seen the footage of that and they immediately take off into the fields. At that scene, that’s where we have the white Ford Transit and the trailer. Enquiries continue and a black BMW X5 was located at Grange Road, Armagh. It was examined and a bottle of bleach was located at the rear of the vehicle. Also inside the vehicle was the receipt for a top up of Firmus Gas. The account was checked and it came back to number 4 Navan Street in Armagh which is the home address of the defendant. The date on the receipt was December 19, 2022 so the receipt had entered that vehicle in the preceding 24 hours of the incident. We are aware that 60 Moy Road, which is in the vicinity of the ATM, is connected to the defendant as it used to be his grandparent’s home. I conducted a search of that property yesterday. It is currently uninhabited. The Ford Transit was bearing false registration plates. They had been stolen from a white Scania HGV which had been taken from a lorry driver who was asleep at the road.

"On Wednesday, December 21 officers from the Organised Crime Unit took over the investigation from Lurgan CID. I searched two addresses, one was the defendant’s mother’s address, he was not present, and the other Navan Street. The defendant’s mother tried to contact her son and provided his mobile number.

"When officers spoke to the defendant and initially was extremely truculent, refusing to engage and didn’t care we were taking his mum’s house apart for the conduction of a search,” said the detective adding that the defendant then presented himself at the Navan Street address where he was arrested.

The detective said they found a receipt for the BMW X5 which he claimed he had sold it a week prior to the incident but was unable to say who to.

"It’s the police’s position that while he answered some questions he is being deceitful.

Police found a key in the Navan Street kitchen to the Transit which, during interview, the defendant claimed was for another vehicle, however the key was that for the Transit. Also in the kitchen an imitation handgun was found behind a microwave. The detective added: “The property has the capacity to be barricaded with a steel beam across the front door. Under his pillow there was a hatchet. At the sofa there was a telescopic baton. There was a recently arrived package which contained a T8000 bug tracker sweeping device which the investigation team believe has been bought by the defendant to scan ATMs for tracking devices.

The detective outlined the cost of the damage which he said came to more than £143k.

"Police believe the defendant is a committed member of an organised crime gang. This incident would have taken careful planning and preparation. Vehicles were stolen and used in a very professional manner and if there hadn’t been a tracker in it, they may have gotten away with this incident,” said the detective.

Donnelly’s solicitor, John McAtamney said his client has only minor motoring matters as previous convictions and requested bail. “Any evidence is indirect. There is no evidence he was at the scene or that he was involved. The evidence is circumstantial.”

The judge said: “There is no doubt this was a well organised planned and executed operation.”

Bail was refused and the case was adjourned until January 17 to Armagh Magistrates Court.