atm Archives - Ireland's Forecourt & Convenience Retailer

Man avoids jail over attempted ATM theft at Co Down forecourt

Linda Stewart — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 09:33:17 +0000

A County Antrim man has avoided jail over his role in the attempted theft of a cash machine from a petrol station in Ballynahinch, County Down.

The incident happened on the Belfast Road in November 2019.

Adrian Boyd, 29, of Glenville Mews, Newtownabbey, was handed a three-year prison sentence suspended for three years.

He pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting burglary and criminal damage to Carlisles’ petrol station.

Prosecutor Laura Ivers told Downpatrick Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, that at 05:00 GMT on Monday 18 November 2019, two men stole a trailer from Ballynahinch before hitching it on to a silver Volkswagen Passat car and driving it towards the town centre.

About 10 minutes later, the same car was caught on CCTV leaving a quarry with a 20-tonne stolen digger.

“The vehicles then travelled 200 yards to Carlisles’ fresh foods filling station on the Belfast Road,” Ms Ivers told Judge Geoffrey Miller KC.

“The digger was used to ram the cash machine on the forecourt.

“After 30 attempts to break free the cash machine, the offenders then used the digger to open the main doors to the shop.

“Two males entered the premises and opened a cigarette cabinet and tills.

“They took scratch cards to the value of £1,829, tobacco worth £3,777.45 and £975 in cash.”

The court heard that as the vehicles fled the scene, the digger crashed into the forecourt canopy, which collapsed and struck a passing vehicle.

The digger was abandoned at a quarry and the Passat was later reported to be on fire in the Queen’s Park area of Saintfield.

Ms Ivers told the court, that at 11:00, Boyd was observed in the passenger seat of a taxi by police officers who were conducting traffic duties at the Saintfield/Ballynahinch Road junction.

“Police made observations about his appearance and decided to search him and found 38 scratch cards on his person,” said the prosecutor.

Boyd was arrested and remained silent throughout his police interviews.

Detectives discovered the scratch cards had been issued to Carlisles’.

The court heard “extensive damage” was caused to the filling station totalling £821,295 and the loss to the business was £64,811.

Ms Ivers said Boyd was identified as the person who bought the Passat car from messages on his Facebook page.

Defence counsel Greg Berry KC said it was accepted that Boyd was not present at the time of the filling station burglary and only provided the car for the gang.

Judge Millar said Boyd was the only person to date who has been prosecuted over the burglary.

“This was a very serious burglary which is apparent from the depositions and photographs and the loss and damage caused in this criminal enterprise was huge,” the judge said.

“It was a carefully planned operation which the owner of the petrol station could do little to guard against.

“The Passat was bought as a getaway vehicle which the defendant says was his role.

“The fact that 38 scratch cards were found on his person just a matter of hours after the ram raid shows that he was closely involved in the operation.”

Judge Millar said Boyd had 33 previous convictions on his criminal record including six for burglary and two criminal damage offences.

The post Man avoids jail over attempted ATM theft at Co Down forecourt appeared first on Ireland's Forecourt & Convenience Retailer.

Government to consider giving Central Bank powers to regulate ATM operators

Linda Stewart — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 10:18:17 +0000

The Government is to consider giving the Central Bank powers to regulate the operators of ATMs.

It comes after concerns were raised by the Central Bank that three out of every four ATMs in Ireland are now owned and operated by unregulated cash distribution companies due to a massive shift towards outsourcing by retail banks.

Central Bank has called for a wider social-policy discussion on the future of cash in the banking system. In a submission to a consultation on the Department of Finance’s review of retail banking, the regulator said that cash remained “an important means and choice of payment” for consumers.

“We believe that it is important that it remains as a central part of the payments system,” the bank said.

The submission pointed to a number of recent developments that had affected access to cash for customers:

Retail banks selling their offsite ATMs to independent ATM deployers (IADs),
Retail banks outsourcing their secure transit of cash to third parties – with such activity now largely handled by a small number of cash-in-transit (CIT) firms,
The withdrawal of Ulster Bank and KBC from the market, and
Retail banks closing bank branches, and withdrawing cash and other in-branch services.

The Central Bank estimated that only 25% of Ireland’s ATM network would be owned by retail banks by the end of this year, compared with 100% in 2015.

It pointed out that 75% of ATMs were under the control of unregulated IADs, while the two biggest CIT operators had a market share of around 95%.

It said one of the key questions to be considered was whether IADs and CIT firms should be regulated, as the secure transit of cash and ATM operation were “critical functions” in the provision of access to cash services.

AIB recently reversed a decision to turn 70 of its branches into cashless outlets, after public and political criticism.

The regulator pointed out that other countries had made legislative changes, and implemented other interventions, to ensure ongoing access to cash and in-branch services.

The Central Bank said that the use of cash had been declining in Ireland in recent years – in particular during the pandemic period.

It estimated that, while the value of ATM withdrawals now stood at about two-thirds of pre-pandemic levels, they remained relatively stable at around €1 billion per month.

The regulator said that cash played a key role in ensuring that the needs of some consumers were served – particularly those without access to a bank account, those digitally marginalised, and those who were vulnerable.

“It also represents a critical contingency in the event of electronic-payment system failures,” it added

The post Government to consider giving Central Bank powers to regulate ATM operators appeared first on Ireland's Forecourt & Convenience Retailer.

£2m Ballyclare forecourt scheme gets the green light

Linda Stewart — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 08:49:23 +0000

Plans to transform the derelict site beside Watt’s Garage filling station on the Ballynure Road in Ballyclare, creating 25 jobs, have been given the green light by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.

The plans include two new units and a restaurant, along with improvements to the existing petrol forecourt with the creation of additional parking, improved traffic flows and access to the post office, ATM, paypoint, convenience store and hot food deli.

New ultra-fast 150kw electric charging points will also be installed, the first of its kind in the area.

Family-run Watts Garage, which was established 67 years ago, has designed the development closely with the council to enhance the area.

Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Cllr Stephen Ross said: “I welcome this £2m investment in Ballyclare. This project will complement the Council’s revitalisation projects and enhance the gateway to Ballyclare.

“It will also provide up to 25 full and part time jobs with a further 20 jobs being created during construction.”

Managing director Daryl Watt said: “This £2m investment reconfirms our confidence in the Borough. This refurbishment work is only possible thanks to the support from our loyal customers over the past 67 years and we hope that this project will enable us to continue to support our community into the future.”

The post £2m Ballyclare forecourt scheme gets the green light appeared first on Ireland's Forecourt & Convenience Retailer.

Former GAA footballer jailed for 10 years for ATM raids

Linda Stewart — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 15:24:44 +0000

A County Armagh man has been ordered to serve 10 years in jail for a series of robberies in which ATMs were ripped from walls in the Republic of Ireland.

Daniel O’Callaghan, from Monog Road in Crossmaglen, had denied 16 charges but was found guilty at Ireland’s Special Criminal Court in Dublin last month.

He is the fifth member of an organised crime gang to be jailed over the ATM raids that took place in 2018 and 2019.

The judge said he played a central role as a planner and active gang member.

The gang stole hundreds of thousands of euros in six ATM robberies across counties Meath, Cavan and Monaghan until they were caught “red-handed” by gardaí.

Officers intercepted the gang in County Cavan in the early hours of 14 August 2019, as they attempted to pull a cash machine from the wall of a restaurant in Main Street, Virginia.

When their stolen vehicle was rammed by gardaí, gang members tried to flee by jumping over a wall and running into a nearby field.

Two of them were arrested but O’Callaghan, an ex-Gaelic footballer, escaped.

However, the former player, who won three All-Ireland club championships with Crossmaglen Rangers, was recognised at the scene by two officers from different units.

O’Callaghan’s DNA was also later found in a sauna inside a nearby shed, where it is believed he hid as his accomplices were arrested.

Passing sentence on Monday March 7, the judge said O’Callaghan had taken part in an “audacious” operation on behalf of a “well-oiled” criminal organisation.

She said he had contested the charges against him, despite being caught “red-handed” at the scene of the attempted raid in Virginia, and therefore did not get the benefit of a guilty plea.

However, she said the court would take into consideration that O’Callaghan had not contested certain issues during his trial, meaning that a number of witnesses were not required to give evidence.

She also considered his involvement in his family and his local community to be a mitigating factor.

She handed down an 11-year sentence, ordering him to spend the first 10 years in jail, with the final year suspended due to the mitigating factors.

O’Callaghan was the only member of the gang who did not admit his involvement in the ATM raids and he has received the longest prison sentence.

Last week, County Monaghan brothers Ciaran and Gerard Duffy were each jailed for seven years and nine months and their older brother Stephen was jailed for four years.

Their co-accused, Niall Finnegan from Cherry Grove, Cullyhanna, County Armagh, is already serving three years in jail for his part in the thefts.

The post Former GAA footballer jailed for 10 years for ATM raids appeared first on Ireland's Forecourt & Convenience Retailer.