Two men jailed in 2019 for their roles in a daring plot to steal cash machines across Cumbria will be punished again — for illegally being in each other’s company.
Ashley George Macauley, 28, and 31-year-old Scott Walpole were among eight people handed prison sentences totalling almost 40 years for the parts they played in a year-long conspiracy.
Gang members targeted ATMs at towns including Maryport, Whitehaven, Cockermouth, Silloth, Workington and Brampton. One cash machine was ripped from a wall; there were several failed attempts; and crooks left destruction in their wake, causing damage running into thousands of pounds.
Macauley, of Castlegate, Penrith, and Walpole, of Curzon Street, Maryport, each received 51-month prison sentences after admitting conspiracy to steal.
Later in 2019, both men were also made subject to the tough terms of serious crime prevention orders (SCPO) successfully sought by detectives who had dismantled the plot. For a period of five years, they must abide by a raft of conditions aimed at curbing their criminal conduct.
They must, for example, tell police of any address changes, declare use of mobile phones of social media and avoid interacting with each other.
But after falling foul of the latter rule, Macauley and Walpole appeared at Carlisle Crown Court. Sitting side by side on a video link from custody, they admitted breaching the SCPO on November 10 last year by associating with each other despite being “prohibited from doing so”.
The pair had previously admitted a separate, similar breach when appearing before magistrates just before Christmas.
The two defendants are due to be sentenced for their breaches by a judge next week. In the meantime, they will remain in custody.
