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00:15Come to your place, let's get an emergency.
00:18I'll attack on Morrison.
00:23I don't try to rob the shot.
00:27Two or three males.
00:30All dressed in black, with balaclavas on.
00:35Stay in your vehicle.
00:37Yeah.
00:40Come on, I'm in the back.
00:41I'm in the back.
00:44I hope they've done the shot.
00:46They've done the shot.
01:04I'm here.
01:24I'm in the back.
01:27I've done it.
01:30There is two cash machines I call in the wall, both of them are open and both are empty.
01:38Police officers are responding to a cashpoint raid in the middle of the night at a supermarket in West Cumbria.
01:46All I know is there were street nails, valleys, black clothes.
01:52All three of them? Yeah.
01:55Do you have a description of the vehicle?
01:56Great saloon.
01:58Yeah, anything else?
02:0127 nights off control.
02:03Great saloon with one of them stupid exhausts on.
02:07And they've shot off.
02:08Yeah.
02:10An alert goes out for the robber's getaway car.
02:14Driving away at speed towards the E69.
02:17But they've fled the scene with the cash boxes.
02:20And they're taking place overnight.
02:45The doors to the ATM have been forced open.
02:48We think there's been a loss somewhere in the region of £130,000,
02:52so this is a significant loss, which is out of the ordinary for us.
02:57This is the second ATM raid in the past 24 hours
03:01that Cumbria police are now investigating.
03:06These stills have been recovered from the CCTV near to the ATM machine.
03:10You can see this, which would appear to be some kind of equipment
03:13that's going to be used to gain access to this ATM machine.
03:18It's a really audacious thing to do.
03:21They've bypassed a number of security measures
03:23in a very short period of time
03:25in order to secure a significant amount of cash.
03:28We don't know the identity of those people involved.
03:30We don't know where they've come from, where they've gone to afterwards.
03:33So there's a lot of questions that we need to understand.
03:36Just want to make it clear, this isn't a victimless crime
03:38that we're investigating here.
03:40They are sophisticated criminals.
03:42Let's just bear in mind everyone's safety
03:44when we're going out of here right now.
03:46Let's get cracked on, then. Thank you.
03:49These ATM robberies, they are very slick at what they do.
03:53They're willing to take quite significant risks
03:56in order to reap some quite high rewards.
03:59I believe that these people are likely to do whatever it takes
04:02in order to avoid being caught.
04:10Come back, please.
04:12No, it's not exactly an emergency.
04:13Has there been a cash machine robbed lately?
04:17Because there's some cash drawers lying around in a field
04:21and there's money lying around.
04:24Gosh.
04:25I'll get officers there now.
04:31The empty cash boxes are recovered
04:33and sent to forensic investigator Jason Goodwin for urgent examination.
04:43Right, let me have a look.
04:45These are the cash boxes that have been stolen from Morrisons.
04:50What we're looking for is any fingerprints.
04:54The offenders might get a bit sloppy
04:56once they've taken the items away from the scene.
04:59If they've got gloves on, they could potentially take them off
05:02when they're trying to get into these cash boxes.
05:08These cash cassettes that come from the farmer's field,
05:11they probably thought they may never get found
05:13for a number of days or weeks, but fortunately for us,
05:17they've been found within hours of the offence.
05:20While the boxes are sent for fingerprint analysis,
05:24Jason takes a closer look at the damage on the ATMs
05:27to work out how the gang forced them open.
05:31There's some distinctive tool marks on the ATM machine.
05:34It looks like an angle grinder has been used
05:38to cut through the ATM doors.
05:44There's also a series of unusual horizontal markings
05:49from some other implement that's being used.
05:53Some sort of high-powered gripping tool.
05:59Getting into the back of ATM machines is not an easy task.
06:03You need specialist equipment.
06:05It takes a great deal of organisation and planning,
06:08so it's unlikely to be local criminals that have done that.
06:13It's quite unusual, and it could be they're coming from further afield
06:17into our area.
06:26170 miles away, reports of the Cumbrian raids
06:30are shared with a specialist taskforce.
06:34Detective Inspector Alan Teague is chasing a prolific criminal gang
06:38suspected of robbing ATMs nationwide.
06:43This is a briefing to update progress on Operation TCAP,
06:47targeting an organised crime group based in the West Midlands,
06:50who have committed a series of attacks on cash machines
06:53at rural locations across the country.
06:56We've been sent CCTV from the offences that have been committed
07:00up in Cumbria.
07:01Hallmarks of this offence are very, very similar
07:04to the organised crime group that we're investigating.
07:08In recent months, the gang has struck repeatedly,
07:12escaping with nearly a quarter of a million pounds in cash.
07:17The challenge with investigating an OCG is always that they're trying
07:21to stay one step ahead of us.
07:25ATMs are inherently difficult to get into,
07:30but they have a very specific MO with the machinery that they use
07:34to break them open.
07:39They found the quickest way is through the use of specialist
07:43cutting machinery.
07:48That's the reason why we've named the group
07:51J-O-L, or Jaws of Life.
07:56The Jaws of Life, which the fire brigade need
07:58for emergency situations.
08:00They're used to try to cut open cars that have been involved
08:04in accidents to save people.
08:09They've stolen hundreds of thousands of pounds.
08:12They're quite willing to use violence
08:14during the commission of the offence.
08:18They travel at really, really dangerous high speeds.
08:26They've used rocks to ward police off.
08:40There's no doubt about it, this gang aren't going to stop
08:43unless we catch them.
08:49The task force begins by trying to work out if the same Jaws of Life gang
08:54are now targeting Cumbria.
08:58Similar MO, four offenders in an Audi RS3.
09:06Offenders exit the vehicle.
09:11Used a disc cutter and Jaws of Life to force open the side door that leads to the ATM.
09:18And again, the Jaws of Life is on the ATM in order to steal the cash boxes from within.
09:25Whilst one offender stands outside on guard with a bat in their hand.
09:38They're far from what you'd describe as an amateur outfit.
09:42We're going to be working with colleagues from Cumbria Police from this point onwards.
09:46The opportunities that present themselves from these most recent offences up in Cumbria
09:50mean that we need to act at pace now.
09:52The gang are proving to be a difficult proposition for us at this time
09:56because they've left no trace behind so far.
10:00It's an absolute priority for us and our colleagues in Cumbria now
10:04to try to identify where the offenders are.
10:07We don't know where they're going to strike next.
10:16While the task force gathers intel in the West Midlands,
10:20Cumbria Police take the lead on the forensic investigation from the crime scenes.
10:26It's in a semi-rural area, so there's going to be limited CCTV opportunities.
10:31A team heads out to search for any sign of the getaway car
10:35near to where the boxes were dumped.
10:39So, you never know, they might get something by the answer today.
10:42That's great, mate. It's a good lead, isn't it?
10:44We'll get on that straight away, next one.
10:46OK.
10:50Cumbria has always been thought of as a sleepy, rural community
10:54where crime doesn't really occur.
10:57To me, that's not the case.
10:58We have to think outside the box.
11:00We have to consider what might they not have thought about
11:03to disrupt this group, to try and catch them.
11:15The cash boxes are the only potential forensic lead in the case.
11:23Investigator Helen Pendry searches for fingerprints using UV lighting.
11:28I'm just going to slowly examine the cash cassette.
11:35The blue crime light fluoresces any areas of friction-rich detail
11:41present on the exhibit.
11:47There's the area where the money would be placed and obviously removed.
11:54A couple of areas of where potentially somebody's touched it,
12:00but unfortunately, not very clear.
12:05It's more of a smudge rather than definite fingerprints, sadly.
12:11But this is what happens.
12:13People are very forensically aware and not found anything.
12:20The conclusions to be drawn from that are just
12:23they've never took the gloves off.
12:25They've never exposed the fingerprints to those items.
12:28The other possibility is they've wiped it down.
12:32So, at this stage, we've got no idea who these offenders are.
12:36They always seem to be...
12:39..one step ahead.
12:47The police, what's your emergency?
12:50This bar shop in Brampton appears to have been broken in two
12:52and I think there's smoke in there.
12:55See, on the line, we're going to get officers travelling.
13:00I can smell something smells like tottle angle grinder.
13:05Is there an ATM at Big Dot's bar?
13:08Yes.
13:10In the early hours, just a day after the last raid,
13:15Cumbria police are called to another ATM burglary in progress.
13:21Police!
13:22Show yourselves!
13:29Oh, my God.
13:30They've angle-grounded the back of the safe.
13:40I don't think they've got it off.
13:43I don't know why they've left.
13:46This time, the thieves have fled empty-handed.
13:52Which...what kind of car was it?
13:54Grey?
13:56Grey.
13:56Right, OK.
13:57Small, big hatchback.
14:01It is the same vehicle as yesterday.
14:04I've just spoken to a member of the public.
14:06They've seen a small grey hatchback.
14:10The grey car matches the description from all three offences.
14:16We are heading general direction.
14:19But once again, the gang have made a clean getaway.
14:36So this is the third offence we've had now in three days up in Cumbria.
14:39Yeah.
14:41Fearing the Jaws of Life gang have struck again,
14:45Task Force lead Alan Teague and DC Mark Plant
14:49have requested CCTV from the latest attack.
15:00They're breaking to the front entrance of the store.
15:07And we can see the Jaws of Life as they go inside.
15:15One outside.
15:15Angle grinder.
15:21One outside with the bat.
15:25Just pause it there.
15:27Yep.
15:28No chance that we can see a registration plate, is there?
15:31It's just a blur.
15:33The grey Audi's obviously been present now at three offences.
15:36It's probably a stolen vehicle.
15:42Trying to locate that grey Audi RS3
15:44is absolutely a priority for us at this moment in time.
15:49We need to identify where that car is
15:51and to recover that vehicle,
15:53hopefully with the offenders present.
15:58A gang of this type will eventually slip up.
16:05We can see him passing a police patrol car.
16:18Totally unaware of what's going on inside the store.
16:21The man with the bat there, he's seen them
16:24and he goes back into the store
16:26to alert other members of the group.
16:30They leave empty-handed.
16:33They go back into the grey RS3.
16:37From the CCTV, we can see that this group
16:39appear to be more brave than now.
16:41They're getting very brave.
16:46It seems like Cumbia's now under attack.
17:06What's your first name, Lee?
17:07Daniel.
17:08Daniel Ryan.
17:09Do you hear you from round here?
17:10Of course or no.
17:1320 miles away from last night's burglary,
17:17Cumbria patrol officers pull over a tow truck
17:20after spotting something suspicious.
17:24Yeah, we stopped the loader
17:25and then the Audi was just covered up.
17:27It was passing as we were coming out of HQ.
17:31Have you put the bin on the log?
17:32Yeah, it's stolen.
17:35The grey Audi RS3 was reported stolen a week ago
17:39and as a match for the getaway car seen on CCTV.
17:43Go ahead.
17:45I don't know.
17:46I had to go up and do it for him.
17:46He told me, he said,
17:48there's an electrical force inside.
17:50He's trying to fix it.
17:51He can't fix it.
17:52So he told him to go both sides from the game.
17:55That's all I know.
17:57Nelson, just watch him a sec.
18:02We're doing a cursory search of the cab of this vehicle.
18:05When we've lifted the front passenger seats up,
18:07there's wedges of money underneath it.
18:11Due to the circumstances...
18:13You're an arrest, a person, a girl, gory.
18:14You don't have to say anything to me.
18:16I'm in defence.
18:16If you don't mention my question,
18:17you can pull it to that line.
18:18Well, let's try.
18:19Anything you do, say me.
18:20We'll give it to you, David.
18:22Don't you piss me off, man,
18:23because, you know what I mean,
18:24this is bullshit.
18:25I understand that.
18:27I understand that.
18:27Fucking people ask me to drive,
18:29pick something up, I pick it up.
18:30Someone ask me to drop something off.
18:31I'll drop things fucking off.
18:33Forensic couplers for this.
18:34So nobody in it.
18:35Nobody in it.
18:37Good spot there, yeah?
18:39Right place, right time.
18:49With a major breakthrough in the case...
18:53Simon, get in your van.
18:57The driver, Daniel Hickenbottom,
18:59is taken to be questioned.
19:03You were arrested earlier today
19:07on suspicion of burglary.
19:10Let's just start from last night, midnight.
19:13Where were you?
19:14No comment.
19:16LDRS3, which is on the trailer,
19:18he was towing.
19:19Were you aware that that vehicle
19:21was cleared to be stolen?
19:22No comment.
19:23This vehicle is cleared to be linked
19:25into the three burglaries.
19:26Have you driven that vehicle
19:29in Cumbria?
19:30No comment.
19:42The discovery of the Audi,
19:46it could be the vital evidence.
19:50The Audi's been identified
19:52at several jobs
19:53over consecutive days now.
19:56So the longer they're in contact
19:58with the vehicle,
20:00that's the time
20:01when they can slip up.
20:03We're going to be looking
20:04for DNA opportunities,
20:06fingerprint opportunities,
20:08anything that we can use
20:10to identify these individuals.
20:17Inside that van,
20:18which have been dribbling,
20:20£4,000 in cash
20:22were found
20:23underneath the passenger seat.
20:25What can you tell me
20:26about that money?
20:27No comment.
20:28Did you get it
20:29when you met
20:29whoever these people are
20:31to pick up this car?
20:34No.
20:35No.
20:37We don't know the role
20:38that Daniel Hickamutton's played.
20:39We don't know whether he's been
20:40one of the males
20:41at the cash machine.
20:42We don't know whether
20:43he's playing a more
20:44ancillary role,
20:45like the movement
20:46of vehicles or assets.
20:50I want to get to the bottom
20:51of this because I want
20:52to know who's done it
20:52and I want to send out
20:54a message that
20:54if you come to Cumbria
20:56and you commit crime,
20:57then expect us to come after you.
21:15In the West Midlands,
21:16Alan meets with the Cumbria team
21:18to talk through the evidence
21:20they have so far
21:21on Daniel's involvement
21:22in the raids.
21:25Morning, Alan.
21:27Stephen, Jason,
21:28good to see you this morning.
21:29I understand that you've
21:30recovered an Audi.
21:31Tremendous result
21:32from our perspective.
21:35The downside for them
21:36is that they've allowed
21:37the tarpaulin
21:37to blow over on the vehicle
21:39and fortunately your traffic officers
21:42who have been very switched on
21:43have been able to see
21:43that vehicle,
21:44stop it and make the arrest.
21:47So this would appear
21:48to be the first mistake
21:49that they've made
21:49and that opportunity
21:51that we've been waiting
21:51for for some months now.
21:52So we have got Daniel
21:54in custody
21:55and just finished interviewing
21:56and now that low load
21:58there on the Audi
21:59has come from
22:00a base quite near
22:02to where the arrest
22:03is then late.
22:04So we think
22:05that they've been staying
22:06somewhere fairly local.
22:08So they may still be
22:10in the area?
22:11Yeah.
22:12OK, Jason,
22:12just in relation
22:13to the Audi,
22:14could you just give us
22:15a bit of an overview
22:15as to what you found
22:16inside that vehicle?
22:18We've got various items
22:20including a load
22:22of rocks or bricks,
22:24disinfectant bottles
22:25to wipe down things
22:26in order to be
22:27forensically aware
22:28and also covered
22:30at least half a dozen
22:32VRM plates
22:33from the vehicle.
22:35But absolutely nothing
22:36with regards to
22:37physical fingerprint
22:39evidence on this vehicle.
22:48So far,
22:49this group have been
22:50one step ahead of us
22:51in terms of
22:52their ability
22:53to avoid detection.
22:56It's frustrating
22:57that we haven't generated
22:59significant amounts
23:00of evidence.
23:01The risk to the public
23:03whilst this gang
23:04is still at large
23:05is significant.
23:07So the pressure is on.
23:13We are going to
23:14release you out
23:15on police bail.
23:16How are you feeling
23:16about going home?
23:18Happy.
23:19With no evidence
23:20linking Daniel
23:21to the burglaries,
23:22he is released on bail
23:24and his phone
23:27is seized
23:28for further investigation.
23:35Go into locations,
23:38see if there's
23:39anywhere that have been
23:39geo-tagged.
23:42To find out more
23:43about what Daniel
23:44was doing in Cumbria,
23:45his phone data
23:46is downloaded
23:47and sent for forensic
23:49examination
23:49by Detective Constable
23:51Joe Tidmarsh.
23:53So it looks like
23:54looking at the phone,
23:56we've got about
23:57397 chats,
24:00about 1,700 call logs,
24:03and about 209 locations
24:06where the phone's hit.
24:12So it looks like
24:14this mobile phone
24:15was actually
24:17in Cumbria
24:18on the 10th of August.
24:19going to be on the 10th of August.
24:30So you've got this one here,
24:33as you come past.
24:36Then you have to go
24:37drive into them guides.
24:41That's our house.
24:43Oh dear.
24:47That's interesting, that.
24:49He's kind of made a video
24:50to kind of explain
24:53where he is
24:54and where to go
24:56and kind of
24:56the entry and exit points.
24:59The video was filmed
25:00by Daniel
25:01a few days
25:02before the first raid
25:03in Cumbria.
25:05There's another one there.
25:10That's where I put the car.
25:15That's where I put the car.
25:15Great Audi.
25:18That's where I put the car.
25:20He's showing the number plate as well.
25:23Same number plate.
25:26The clip clearly shows
25:27the Audi getaway car
25:29linked to all three raids
25:31parked outside the property.
25:34If I look around
25:35the time of the offence,
25:39what's interesting
25:41is
25:42Daniel receives
25:45what looks like a WhatsApp
25:46saying,
25:47thanks for booking
25:48with cottages.com.
25:51That's a booking confirmation
25:53for the bungalow.
25:59That's just outside
26:00of Carlisle.
26:03Looks very similar
26:04to the cottage
26:05that he's filming.
26:11This could be a real turning point
26:13in the investigation.
26:16The Audi
26:18is the same vehicle
26:21and therefore
26:22we can now link
26:23the bungalow
26:24to each of the three
26:25different ATM sites.
26:28This may be where
26:29the suspects
26:30have been bracing themselves.
26:31so there is
26:32the potential
26:33for forensic evidence
26:34that has been left
26:35at that address
26:36that may really help us
26:37to identify
26:38who is responsible
26:39for this.
26:44At the bungalow,
26:45the occupants
26:46have already checked out.
26:54crime scene investigators
26:56begin a search
26:58for any hidden traces
26:59such as hair
27:00or fingerprints
27:01that may have been left
27:03by the offenders.
27:12The owner
27:13of the holiday let
27:14informed us
27:15that
27:16when they've actually
27:17gone in
27:17to clean up
27:18the address
27:18they've noticed
27:20that the bedding
27:21on all the beds
27:21was freshly laundered.
27:26So again
27:27like the Audi
27:29they've gone to town
27:31covering the tracks
27:32forensically.
27:36Although the interior
27:38appears spotless
27:39outside
27:40the search team
27:41make a significant discovery.
27:59A black bin bag
28:01full of rubbish
28:02has been recovered.
28:04Each item
28:05must be tagged
28:06and assessed
28:07for potential
28:08forensic analysis.
28:11Within the black
28:13bin bag
28:13that was recovered
28:14from the wheelie bins
28:16at the back
28:16of the property
28:17you've got
28:18quite a selection
28:19of loose cans,
28:20bottles,
28:22lots of drinks,
28:22vessels,
28:23tissues.
28:24Wow, there's loads there
28:25isn't there?
28:26Tissues.
28:26Yeah.
28:27And we've got these
28:29antibacterial surface
28:30cleaners.
28:32We've got Red Bull cans.
28:34Right, it's OK.
28:34Got a lot of clothing tags.
28:38Within the bin bag
28:39we're looking at over
28:41a hundred exhibits
28:43but we don't know what is going to be useful
28:46to an investigation
28:47until we go through that meticulously
28:50and we'll concentrate on high-priority submissions
28:53to our fingerprint enhancement lab.
28:56Pot noodle,
28:58lots of takeaway.
29:02McDonald's,
29:02this does contain
29:04a receipt
29:05in this.
29:10Is that some handwriting
29:11on it as well?
29:12Yeah,
29:13appears to be
29:14a partial VRM.
29:16So it's probably
29:16gone through
29:17the drive-thru
29:18and the staff
29:18have wrote
29:19a part number
29:20place on it.
29:20Yeah.
29:22What's the date
29:24can you say?
29:25It is the 11th
29:26of the 8th
29:27and it's at
29:2910.27
29:30the morning.
29:31It's brilliant.
29:38Officers are sent
29:39to retrieve CCTV
29:40from McDonald's
29:42matching the time
29:43on the receipt.
29:50This footage
29:51has been sent
29:52from our
29:53Cumbria colleagues
29:53and it's from
29:54a McDonald's
29:55approximately
29:56five miles
29:56from the cottage
29:57where we believe
29:58our suspects
29:59were actually staying.
30:00In the West Midlands,
30:02Mark begins searching
30:03the downloaded footage
30:04for customers
30:05using the drive-thru.
30:08We know from the receipt
30:09that it was a drive-thru
30:11that was used
30:11because of the
30:12parcel registration.
30:19I'm just trying to see
30:20if I can pick out
30:21the vehicle
30:22and hopefully
30:22identify the person.
30:33It seems quite busy
30:34at McDonald's.
30:36There's numerous vehicles
30:37on there.
30:40There's a family here
30:41in a silver vehicle
30:42that's not going
30:43to be related
30:44to any of our suspects
30:45or the investigation.
30:53Oh, there we go.
30:56This clip I've got now
30:57from the serving hatch
31:03is a white male
31:04wearing sunglasses.
31:09He's waiting for his order.
31:13He's the only occupant
31:14of the vehicle.
31:19That one
31:20can't see the registration number.
31:24But we need
31:25to get a better angle
31:26from CCTV.
31:32This view
31:33is the same car
31:36but the rear
31:37of the vehicle.
31:41Got it.
31:44It's a white Vauxhall
31:46mocker
31:46and the registration
31:47is YVT.
31:52which matches
31:53the receipt.
31:55Now I've got
31:56the full registration
31:57we can do
31:58some checks on that.
32:05This vehicle
32:06is linked
32:06to this person
32:08Craig Howell.
32:13Mark runs the name
32:14on the police
32:15national computer
32:16to see if this man
32:18is known to police.
32:23previous convictions
32:25for theft,
32:27burglary,
32:27burglary of a non-dwelling
32:29and also
32:31wounding with intent,
32:33grievous bodily harm
32:34from which he received
32:35a seven-year imprisonment.
32:41The first time he was arrested
32:42he was just a teenager.
32:45There's numerous arrests
32:47spanning nearly 30 years.
32:52definitely a career criminal.
32:56And the images
32:57are not dissimilar.
32:59A white male
32:59of a similar age
33:00on CCTV
33:01with McDonald's.
33:04So,
33:04this is Craig Howell.
33:14Craig Howell is based
33:16in the West Midlands
33:16and has previous
33:18convictions
33:19for serious assaults.
33:21But,
33:22if I was to make
33:22one arrest
33:23this would quickly
33:24tip off all of the others
33:25that were on their case.
33:27So, I want to identify
33:28all of the members
33:29of the group
33:29before we make
33:31any arrests.
33:32At this stage
33:33we don't know
33:34who the ringleader is.
33:35But, for me,
33:36the net is starting
33:37to close on this group now.
33:41Investigators
33:41start tracking
33:42motorway cameras
33:43to piece together
33:44Howell's movements
33:45in Cumbria
33:46in the hope
33:47he may lead them
33:49to the rest of the gang.
33:51Oh, no.
33:52I've got some here.
33:54OK,
33:54ANPR data
33:55for Craig Howell's
33:56white Vauxhall
33:57mocker
33:58shows movement
33:59from the Wolverhampton area
34:00and it moves north
34:02to the Cumbria area
34:03arriving around
34:04about half past two
34:05to the area
34:06where the offences
34:06were committed
34:07the day before.
34:12Following the offences
34:13that same vehicle
34:14makes a journey south
34:15back toward
34:16the train station.
34:18Howell's car
34:19makes a stop
34:20at Penrith train station
34:21before returning
34:23to the West Midlands.
34:26The task force
34:27urgently requests
34:28the station CCTV
34:30to analyse.
34:34Boss,
34:35do you want to come
34:35and have a look at this?
34:37CCTV
34:37just been sent through
34:38at Penrith train station.
34:41So this is
34:42an external camera
34:43at the railway station
34:44in Penrith
34:44and you can see
34:45the white Vauxhall
34:46mocker
34:47that we know
34:48is linked
34:49to Craig Howell.
34:51Interesting now
34:52that two people
34:52have got out
34:53walking into the station.
34:57I can't see the facial
34:58from the outside.
34:59We've got to ID them
35:00from that.
35:05And right,
35:05unfortunately
35:06that lady blocks it
35:07I think.
35:08Playback speed,
35:09slow it down.
35:11Oh, here we go.
35:13This is better.
35:16You know those,
35:17don't you?
35:18It's Noel Reilly.
35:21Brilliant.
35:23Noel Reilly
35:24is a significant
35:25criminal
35:26from the West Midlands
35:27force area.
35:28I've known Noel Reilly
35:30as long as I've been
35:30in the job.
35:36First arrest
35:37was in 1997.
35:39Looks nothing like it,
35:40does it?
35:40Does it?
35:41Wow.
35:44Reilly has a long-standing
35:45history of convictions
35:47for similar types
35:48of offending.
35:49Theft of cash
35:50from ATM machines
35:51and through
35:52quite violent means.
35:54As you can see,
35:55he's certainly
35:56been around
35:56investigations
35:57that I've been involved
35:58in for the past
35:5926 years.
36:01Released in 2023
36:02and then,
36:04lo and behold,
36:04he's back to his old ways.
36:06Offending,
36:06targeting ATMs again.
36:09Next,
36:10they scan for images
36:11that can give
36:12a clearer view
36:12to identify
36:13the second man.
36:15That one?
36:16That one?
36:17That one, I think.
36:18That is.
36:19This is an internal camera now.
36:21Look at the ticket office.
36:22Very clear.
36:25Oh, there we go.
36:26That is Simon Padgett,
36:28100%.
36:29You've dealt with him
36:30before, haven't you?
36:31I have.
36:32It was a few years ago now
36:33when he was arrested
36:34for a serious offence.
36:36That is him.
36:37Brilliant stuff.
36:51With three potential gang members
36:53now identified,
36:55West Midlands Police
36:56launch simultaneous raids.
36:59Lightroom load,
37:00roof clear.
37:06Are you all good to go?
37:08Yes, yes.
37:09Unicorn 981?
37:10Yes, sir.
37:12Unicorn 981?
37:13Get ready.
37:16Unicorn 982?
37:19We're ready.
37:20All units proceed,
37:22then please.
37:23Come on, George.
37:24Get off.
37:24It's the police.
37:45Don't get down.
37:50Hey, get down.
37:51Don't get back.
37:51Give me your hands now.
37:54Hands.
38:12You're under arrest.
38:14You're under arrest.
38:14You're going to experience
38:15the burglar.
38:23I don't know what you're saying, but obviously the officers have explained why we're here,
38:27but there's clearly a reason why, we don't just...
38:29I don't always reason, mate.
38:31We'll just get some clothes on.
38:33We'll go back.
38:35All right, sir.
38:38These officers here are going to take you down, all right, sir?
38:40Take you two, I'll be all right, mate, OK?
38:42It's great.
38:42Get up.
38:44What's going on in here?
38:47Take a second here.
38:49Good work.
38:50Howdy, John.
39:00All three suspects, Noel Riley, Simon Padgett and Craig Howell,
39:08are brought into custody to be questioned,
39:10along with Daniel Hickenbottom, who is rearrested at home.
39:19Have you been arrested before?
39:21Yeah.
39:23Must have been arrested before.
39:24Conspiracy to burgle.
39:27Conspiracy to commit robbery.
39:29And conspiracy to handle stolen property.
39:32These offenses have resulted in the theft of hundreds of thousands of pounds.
39:37Oh, please, can you just help to fix my fucking door?
39:41Because I couldn't give a shit about the offenses.
39:43Just fix the fucking door.
39:44Yeah.
39:44Come down, break the door.
39:46Yeah.
39:46Scare the fucking kids, but please fix the door.
39:49Because I'm sick of spending £1,200 on the fucking doors.
39:51It's a fucking joke.
39:52That's cool.
39:58Detectives now have 24 hours to hold the suspects,
40:02and find enough evidence to charge them.
40:07A fingertip search of their homes gets underway,
40:11looking for phones or anything else that may link them to the cash raids.
40:29So, there's his current mobile phone.
40:32There's an iPhone 15 Pro, an iPhone XR, an iPhone SE.
40:37Phone's in the lounge as well.
40:42Any markers, please, gentlemen?
40:43We've got firearms, drugs, weapons, and prolific offenders.
40:49Mate, I've got markers for everything,
40:51but I'm just the nicest man you'll ever meet.
40:53Yeah.
40:54I don't know where they're getting them from.
41:00These are old-school offenders
41:02who were involved in serious or organised crime.
41:05The evidence recovered so far is really significant,
41:09but on its own is not enough in order to secure convictions.
41:15It's really important to prove that these people have been in the bungalow
41:18up in Cumbria,
41:20from which I believe they operated their criminal enterprise
41:25over the course of those three days.
41:28Mr Craig, I just need to do fingerprints and photograph.
41:32My hope is that they will have left sufficient evidence behind
41:35to link the members of the group to that location.
41:39Surely you don't still catch people by fingerprints now?
41:42Yeah.
41:43He'll be amazed.
41:45I don't know, mate.
41:46I love some money and fucking pound waste.
41:48Fuck's sake.
42:00In Cumbria, over a hundred items of evidence from the bin outside the bungalow
42:06have arrived for investigator Helen Pendry to examine.
42:13So, we've got a food container.
42:16I'll just have a look visually to see if I can see anything.
42:23This looks pretty clean, to be fair.
42:28I don't see any parent fingerprints.
42:30We've got a load of items.
42:33Everything's been rammed into this bag.
42:35You've got food material in there, you've got liquids.
42:38So, that presents some contamination issues.
42:41It can interfere with our fingerprint results on these items.
42:48She applies a chemical dye to try and improve the chances of finding a print.
43:07Yeah, there's areas of ridges, but unfortunately, they're not very clear.
43:15And there's no pattern as such.
43:21Although you can see where somebody's touched it,
43:24there is absolutely nothing of value for the Bureau,
43:28which is disappointing.
43:33And I'll just do the same process again.
43:38One item down, Helen still has dozens more to examine
43:42in the hope of finding a forensic link.
43:46Have they let their guard down?
43:49However sophisticated and organised this group are,
43:52this is the opportunity that we've been waiting for.
43:55Yeah, that's all right.
43:56Yeah, go around, mate.
44:03Could you please state your full name and date of birth for me?
44:05Craig Hall.
44:06Thank you Craig.
44:07Between the 10th and 13th of August, we had some offences in Cumbria.
44:11So there was three ATM attacks in Cumbria.
44:19Offenders have arrived in a grey Audi RS3.
44:23CCTV images here of that location and that offence.
44:28You see the Audi first up and the males get out.
44:32Are you any of those males in that CCTV?
44:34No comment.
44:37They attack the ATM machine with an angle grinder,
44:39jaws of life.
44:41They're also carrying an axe and they have crowbars.
44:44Did you sell that money, Craig?
44:46No comment.
44:47Did you ask us to look out?
44:48No comment.
44:49Did you control with anybody to commit that offence?
44:52No comment.
44:57Can you please state your full name and date of birth?
44:59Noel Lansing Riley.
45:01Do you know anything about those offences at all?
45:05You're not answering the questions, you understand,
45:07you've got your right to silence.
45:09Do you know that man by the name of Craig Hall?
45:13Where did you meet him?
45:15Do you see him often?
45:17His house or anywhere else?
45:20Can you please state your full name?
45:21So I'm Padgett.
45:22These events now, the next few events I'm going to talk about
45:24are around one area in Cumbria.
45:27Have you ever stayed there?
45:28No comment.
45:29Do you know anything about the bungalow?
45:30No comment.
45:32£128,430 were stolen from two ATM.
45:35Do you know anything about that?
45:36No comment.
45:38Do you know that now to be Noel Riley?
45:40No comment.
45:42With none of the group admitting to knowing each other.
45:45That one's going to be a primary device, so definitely take a look at those.
45:50Digital forensic officers in the West Midlands focus on accessing their phone data.
45:57So we might be able to get some potential contacts or communications off those.
46:01So you're just looking for messages?
46:03Yeah.
46:04This one's powered on as well.
46:07We have a couple of options available where we can try and brute force the passcode.
46:11The success massively varies.
46:14It depends on the sort of device.
46:18Specialist software is used to unlock them.
46:22And the downloads are sent to Mark to comb for any links to the raids in Cumbria.
46:29I'm investigating the phone download of Craig Howell.
46:34There appears to be no media, videos or photographs on there.
46:39Which is very unusual.
46:43It's just general chit-chat between family members.
46:47I can find no links to Noel Riley or Simon Paget on this phone.
46:53There's nothing on here that will help us with the investigation.
46:57The organised crime groups are members of a criminal fraternity.
47:01One of the first challenges is actually find out how they work together,
47:06how they travel around.
47:07Of course you can make inroads then of where that person's been,
47:10who they associate with.
47:12Some family photographs of Noel with his children,
47:17as you would expect on a phone.
47:28Simon Paget's phone.
47:29There's lots of photographs of Simon with his family.
47:34Oh yeah.
47:35This is a stag do.
47:37Like I said, Noel Riley.
47:41Simon Paget, Craig Howell.
47:44He's having a right of a time.
47:46We're on the right track.
47:47Simon and Craig Howell there.
47:49It shows they are associates.
47:56Although he can show the suspects know each other,
47:59there's no hard evidence that they are the Jaws of Life gang.
48:03But digging deeper, Mark discovers a recent voice note
48:06sent from Noel Riley, apparently to fellow gang members.
48:10Let them cunts carry on doing what they're doing.
48:13They could be watching any person.
48:15We're not stupid enough, mate.
48:17I wish we all had five passports, mate.
48:19I'll be around Europe doing them, mate,
48:21where we're not knowing.
48:22Big Euros, whatever, mate.
48:23We need to mix it up.
48:25Well, that message seems quite incriminating to me.
48:29He's not actually admitting to any offences,
48:31but he's alluding to the fact that they need to lay low for a while.
48:37He's actually boasting that the police have got nothing on them.
48:41No evidence.
48:43And I think they believe they're untouchable.
48:51Searches of property linked to the gang have found.
48:54High-performance cars.
48:58Industrial cutting equipment.
49:00And a stash of counterfeit cigarettes
49:03with a street value of over one million pounds.
49:10And in Craig Howell's shed,
49:12officers make another crucial discovery.
49:16Recovered from the shed in the rear garden,
49:18we found Jaws of Life.
49:19Did you put it there?
49:21No.
49:22Are you hiding it for somebody?
49:23No.
49:26Craig, are you going to be frenzied to lead to anything?
49:28No problem.
49:29Are there fingerprints or DNA?
49:32No, I couldn't.
49:33With the net closing in,
49:36officers continue piecing together each gang member's part
49:39in the orchestrated raids.
49:45Do you go inside and attack the ATM?
49:47Or have you got no knowledge about what I'm talking about at all?
49:51It's very slick.
49:52Not people running around like headless chickens.
49:54Everyone seems to know what they're meant to do.
49:57Is that you?
50:00Is that you?
50:00Are you one of the key people?
50:01Yeah.
50:03What was your share of the stolen money?
50:07No.
50:08Do you want to say anything at all?
50:14No.
50:15Do you want to say anything at all?
50:35The evidence that's been recovered so far on its own just isn't enough.
50:43We need more evidence to prove that they've committed offences in Cumbria.
50:48Because failure to secure charges will mean bailing these individuals,
50:53which would allow them to continue with their offending.
50:57With limited time remaining to hold the gang in custody,
51:01hope for a forensic breakthrough now rests on the single bag of rubbish
51:05left outside their hideout.
51:16This is exciting.
51:18You can see where at some point it's been touched.
51:21After analysing over a hundred items of evidence from the rubbish bag,
51:26Helen has found fingerprints on a clothing tag.
51:30This has got ridge detail, which is quite nice, especially on a darker background.
51:38Next is an energy drink.
51:41This is looking quite positive. This is good.
51:44Something like this, it's worthwhile because we've had quite a number of exhibits from this case
51:49and a lot of them have been negative.
51:52And lastly, she examines a can of cherry cola.
51:57We find areas of friction ridge detail.
52:01There's a small section here.
52:04There's a number of digits, so it's a sequence perhaps.
52:11And that's where we get the result we need.
52:14If we can prove forensically that they've stayed up here in this location,
52:20which is within proximity of these ATM attacks at the same time,
52:25with the Audi that's been recovered, that then now becomes really powerful.
52:36I'm analysing a ridge detail that's been recovered from a Red Bull can.
52:42The ridge details are fast-tracked to examiner David Holmes,
52:46to try and match any of the suspects' prints held on file.
52:56The three suspects have been given to me as potentials,
53:00and I'm now looking at the fingerprint form to try and find the corresponding finger for it.
53:07One, two, three ridges, and there's a ridge ending there.
53:12Bifurcation there, which appears on both the mark and the fingerprint form.
53:17So I'm now satisfied that that mark on the Red Bull can
53:23is that of the left thumb of Craig Howell.
53:27David also analyses the fingerprint found on the clothing tag.
53:32There appears to be what could be a fine scar across the fingerprint.
53:39There's a line coming down here, so it appears like a white line.
53:45In a similar area here, you can see that there's a line coming through there,
53:52which will be that same scar.
53:56At this point, I'm more than confident that that is an identification
54:01to the right forefinger of Simon Padgett.
54:11I'm now looking at some ridge detail on a Cherry Cola can.
54:16A small area of ridge detail, just the one on this can,
54:19and if I work through the intervening ridges out to the left,
54:22one, two, three, four, five, there is a ridge ending coming up and stopping there.
54:28So I'll start looking at the fingerprint form of Noel Riley, the third suspect.
54:36I'm more than satisfied that that is an identification, and that is a match from the Cherry Cola can
54:43to the right thumbprint of Noel Riley.
54:48Three of the gang members can now be forensically placed in Cumbria,
54:53which links them to the getaway car transported by Daniel Hickenbottom and seen at all three offences.
55:06We're trying to understand the hierarchy of the group.
55:10Noel Riley, I think there's every chance that it was he who took possession of the jaws of life
55:15and used those to cut into the cash machines.
55:20Daniel Hickenbottom has acted as the driver to transport the vehicle to and from the Cumbria area.
55:27Their cell site matches that movement as well, but interestingly,
55:32their mobile phones all turn off at the exact times that the offences are being committed,
55:35which is all good supporting evidence for us.
55:38Thanks very much for the cooperation with your team, Sean, and we're working with us.
55:42I'm over the moon with the results.
55:44Yeah, thanks, Steve. Thanks, Jason.
55:48Absolutely bang to rights.
55:50It is somehow ironic that eventually it was a bag of rubbish
55:54which identified the base from which they operated their criminal enterprise
55:58over the course of those three days.
56:02As investigators, we only need to be lucky once.
56:13The CPS has now reached a charging decision on the Cumbria raids.
56:18Along with six other burglaries, the Jaws of Life gang are suspected of committing together.
56:24Hello, Craig.
56:26So, the mate has been sent to the Crown Prosecution Service
56:29and they've come back with four charges for you, mate.
56:31Yeah.
56:31All right.
56:32So you're going to be charged with those following offences now.
56:53First offence, conspiracy to receive stolen goods.
56:56Second charge, inspired together with other persons to dishonestly receive stolen goods,
57:00namely vehicles, Jaws of Life.
57:05Crime does not pay.
57:06Crime does not pay.
57:06This group clearly thought that they were above the law and they would not get caught.
57:10You can sign right there for me, please.
57:13They must have been cheated but left the rubbish.
57:36They must have been cheated but left the rubbish.
57:44While there can be no doubt that the group made a significant amount of cash,
57:49they will spend a considerable amount of time in prison now.
57:53Time that they won't be able to get back, which they will spend away from their families,
57:57and poses the question, ultimately, was it worth it?
58:12Every contact leaves a trace that forensic experts can follow.
58:17Explore it for yourself with the Open University's new interactive case simulator.
58:22Scan the QR code on screen or visit connect.open.ac.uk forward slash real CSI.
58:31See you soon.
58:43See you soon.
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