POLICE say 27 ATMs were targeted in a series of raids spanning five regions since February.

Three people have been charged as part of an investigation into a series of cash machine raids across the Midlands and Wales.

David Price, aged 43, of Blakenhall, Adam Walker, 38, of Moseley, and Joanne McGregor, 40, of Wednesfield – all in Wolverhampton – were arrested on Thursday.

The trio are accused of carrying out a number of raids since February, during which 27 cash machines were targeted and more than £300,000 was stolen across the West Midlands, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, the West Mercia Police area and Denbighshire.

All three have been charged with conspiracy to burgle, conspiracy to handle stolen goods and possession of criminal property.

Police said 14 of the 27 raids were successful. One of those involved a raid on the Santander branch on Stourbridge High Street on June 25, when a cash box was taken.

Two further suspects have been released on bail while the investigation continues.

A FATHER and son who preyed on homeowners across south and west Wales — many of them elderly or in poor health — have been jailed after a court heard how they used intimidation and deception to extract huge sums of money for unnecessary and badly executed building work.

Jim Janes and his son, Thomas James, ran a long-running roofing scam that left dozens of victims facing financial hardship, unfinished homes and costly repair bills.

Swansea Crown Court heard the pair routinely targeted householders with minor repair needs before escalating jobs into major works, demanding ever-increasing payments once roofs had been stripped or damaged.

When questioned or challenged, the defendants became aggressive, leaving victims feeling frightened and pressured into paying. In one case, a homeowner was threatened unless money was handed over.

Passing sentence, Judge Catherine Richards said the defendants showed a “cruel disregard” for the impact of their actions and deliberately manipulated vulnerable people for financial gain.

She told the court the offending was driven by greed and a willingness to exploit those least able to protect themselves.

The court heard the fraud continued for more than five years, during which the defendants traded under multiple business names, changed contact details, and used different bank accounts in an effort to avoid detection.

Lee Reynolds, prosecuting, said the pair often dismantled roofs without consent and left properties exposed to the weather, effectively forcing customers to comply with their demands or face further damage to their homes.

Many victims were in their sixties, seventies and eighties, with some paying tens of thousands of pounds. One homeowner lost £100,000.

Independent experts later found that much of the additional work charged for was unnecessary and that the workmanship carried out was of poor quality. In some cases, jobs were left incomplete, requiring extensive remedial work.

Victims told the court how they had been left anxious, ashamed and financially stretched, with some forced to borrow money or remortgage their homes to cover the costs.

Jim Janes, 55, and Thomas Michael Jim James, 37, both of Llangadog, Carmarthenshire, had previously pleaded guilty to fraudulent trading.

In mitigation, the court heard Janes had worked in the building trade for much of his life, while James was said to have played a lesser role in the operation. However, the judge rejected claims that either man bore reduced responsibility.

Sentencing both men to eight years in prison, Judge Richards said they had acted ruthlessly and without any regard for the harm caused to their victims.

Both defendants will serve 40 per cent of their sentences in custody before being released on licence.

A further hearing will be held on Thursday (May 22) next year to consider confiscation proceedings and the imposition of serious crime prevention orders.

TWO men who supplied cocaine in Aberystwyth have been jailed after police seized large amounts of cash, drugs and weapons during coordinated raids.

Luke Hutton, aged 25, and Lee Mark Walsh, 37, were sentenced at Swansea Crown Court after admitting possession of cocaine with intent to supply and possessing criminal property.

The court heard that police attended Walsh’s flat in Aberystwyth on Thursday (Nov 14) to execute a search warrant. Officers saw several people outside the address, including both defendants. When police approached, Walsh remained at the property while Hutton attempted to flee but was quickly detained.

Walsh, of Yr Hafan, Aberystwyth, was found with cannabis, £160 in cash and a mobile phone. Hutton, of Corporation Street, Aberystwyth, was carrying £8,795 in cash and a phone.

During a strip search in custody, officers recovered a wrap of white powder concealed on Hutton. Further searches uncovered £850 in cash laid out on Walsh’s bed, five mobile phones, a silver knuckleduster and a large kitchen knife hidden beneath the bed.

Police also recovered scales with white powder residue, a bank card contaminated with drug traces, and a further bag of white powder elsewhere in the flat. At Hutton’s address, officers found £1,060 in cash, bicarbonate of soda and empty snap-seal bags, consistent with drug preparation.

Prosecutor Dean Pulling told the court both men were clearly involved in drug supply for financial gain.

Walsh also admitted possession of an offensive weapon and possession of cannabis. He has previous convictions for cannabis offences and failing to comply with a drugs test.

Hutton has a longer record, including offences involving communications, driving matters, domestic abuse and breaching a restraining order.

Mitigating for Walsh, Ryan Bowen said the defendant had experienced a troubled childhood, moving schools frequently, and had struggled with cannabis use from a young age. He said Walsh had shown a strong work ethic and hoped to pursue barbering on release.

Jon Tarrant, representing Hutton, said his client had been heavily addicted to cocaine and that drug use had dominated his life, contributing to the breakdown of relationships, including contact with his two young children.

Sentencing, Judge Vanessa Francis said both men had been involved in dealing with the expectation of making “significant financial gain”.

Addressing Hutton, she said: “You told the author of the pre-sentence report that when your benefits stopped, you ‘did what you had to do’. This court will do what it has to do to take off the streets those who spread the misery of drug supply.”

After reductions for guilty pleas, Hutton was jailed for three years and Walsh for 32 months. Both will serve up to half of their sentences in custody before being released on licence.