Phone box poster gang make a mint from thefts

The gang, who struck in Carnforth, as well as other locations across the UK, stuck Tic-Tac mint posters and KFC posters up or spray painted the inside of phone kiosks before stealing cash from the pay phones.

Lee McQuade, aged 29, Connor Malone, 22, Davy Mains, 22, Gary Blyde, 54, Jamie Blyde, 30, Steven Malone, 43, and Kelsey McEwan, 18, all pleaded guilty to counts of theft, conspiracy to steal and converting criminal property between them and were sentenced on Friday, June 19, at Northampton Crown Court.

Police have said that the gang, including six men and one woman, planned their raids on the BT phone boxes carefully by using special tools and targeting pay phones that were likely to have large amounts of cash - even some in busy shopping areas.

They were arrested last year after a joint investigation by Northamptonshire Police and BT Threat Intelligence and Investigation Team that found the thefts had been committed between January 2013 and March 2014.

Some of the techniques they used included obstructing the view into the kiosk by either using posters or spray painting the inside of the glass and removing the interior light bulb.

CCTV images released show some of the gang walking across Kettering town centre with a set of posters under their arms, taken from another kiosk.

They then place these posters on other telephone boxes and then disappear into them for a few minutes, before leaving.

The thefts were carried out up and down the country including Carnforth, Manchester, Gillingham, Hastings, Rugby, Coventry, Kent, Birmingham, Margate, Ramsgate, Broadstairs, Rochester, Daventry, Watford, Milton Keynes, Skegness, Rushden, Norwich, Dereham, Kingslynn, Luton, Dunstable, Uxbridge, Rickmansworth, Dover, Folkestone, Gravesend, Carlisle, Sittingbourne, Canterbury, Ramsgate, Kettering, Northampton and Wellingborough.

Their charges and sentences include:

Lee McQuade, 29, of Entwood Drive, conspiracy to steal - sentenced to 16 months in prison

Connor Malone, 22, of Bailiff Street, conspiracy to steal and two counts of converting criminal property - sentenced to 14 months in prison

Davy Mains, 22, of Becketts View, conspiracy to steal - sentenced to six months in prison

Gary Blyde, 54, of Semilong Road, theft - sentenced to six months in prison

Jamie Blyde, 30, of Lark Rise, conspiracy to steal - sentenced to six months in prison

Steven Malone, 43, of Whitworth Road, theft - sentenced to six months in prison

Kelsey McEwan, 18, of Eastern Avenue North, conspiracy to steal - sentenced to a 12 month Youth Supervision Order

DC Emma Howe, from the Organised Crime and Drugs Team, said: “The investigation into this Organised Crime Group was challenging due to the amount of offending spanning the entire UK.

“Identifying the offenders and bringing them to the courts was a real team effort working closely with the CPS and BT. Through effective work by police analysts we were able to ensure that the group were identified and brought to justice.

“The costs to BT and the inconvenience they have caused to the public by breaking into countless telephone kiosk is huge and I am relieved that they have all been prosecuted.”

Kevin Brown from the BT Threat Intelligence and Investigation team said: “Today we’ve shown the importance of collaborative working in bringing this case to a successful conclusion. I’d like to praise the work of my team and that of Northamptonshire Police.”

Determining the seriousness of the ofences, Mrs Recorder Lucking QC, said: “Technology and circumstances have changed but they (telephone kiosks) still remain a vital point of contact to the emergency services.”