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The fruit machine raiders: Hammer gang who snatched £30,000 from pubs jailed for 17 years

Three raiders who broke into more than 30 pubs, including 10 in the West Midlands, to smash their way into fruit machines with a lump hammer to net £30,000 were beginning lengthy jail sentences today

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Noel Lacey and Adam Power were only caught when they rammed a blockade of unmarked police cars in a police sting, before finally being dragged from their hired BMW and arrested.

Their spree began at The Copcut Elm, Droitwich, on January 22, when they opened a side door and made off with £1,000. Fifteen minutes later, they targeted the nearby Golden Lion in Bromsgrove.

CCTV of the gang in action at The Fox Inn in Sutton Coldfield
Power, Hawkins and Lacey in their police mugshots

On January 26 they made off with £2,000 from fruit machines at the Unicorn in Alspath Lane, Coventry, and went on to attack pubs in Halesowen, Birmingham and Sandwell.

Police say Lacey and Power moved further afield, to Cannock Hereford and Banbury, in a bid to avoid capture.

  • The Hunting Tree in Halesowen

  • The Glassworks in Stourbridge

  • The Crown in Alcester Road, Kings Heath

  • The Pheasant Inn, Smethwick

  • The Fox Inn, Sutton Coldfield

  • The Bristol Pear, in Selly Oak

  • The Bell Inn, City Arms and Devonshire Arms in Coventry

West Midlands Police officers were waiting for the gang when they pulled onto the car-park of the Man in the Moon, Harrow, Essex, earlyu on April 1 this year.

Police say driver Lacey tried ramming past a blockade of unmarked police vehicles but, along with accomplice Wayne Hawkins, they were dragged from the BMW on false plates and arrested.

A search of Power's home uncovered fruit machine takings.

Dc Darren Brown said: "All the break-ins were in the early hours of the morning.

"There was nothing sophisticated about their tactics, they forced open doors or windows before taking sledgehammers to games machines.

"But there was certainly a degree of planning: we seized CCTV from pubs in the days leading up to attacks that showed them casing up the venue, seeing what machines they had, and the best entry points. And they were always in and out within two minutes.

"Fearing we were on to them they started offending outside the West Midlands area – but we already had them in our sights and an operation on April 1 followed them to Essex where all three were arrested as they planned raid number 32.

"During several of the jobs they disturbed licensees sleeping upstairs and on one occasion attacked two staff members they encountered. They have rightly been handed significant jail sentences."

Two holdalls containing a large quantity of pound coins and two lump hammers were found in the boot.

Lacey, from Sibdon Grove in West Heath, and Power from Crychan Close in Hawksley, Birmingham, admited conspiracy to burgle and one count of robbery at the Royal Hop Pole pub in Tewkesbury, where they threatened staff.

They were jailed for seven-and-a-half and six-and-a-half years, respectively.

Hawkins, from Hollybank Road in Billesley, Birmingham, admitted roles in the last four raids and was jailed for three years at yesterday's hearing at Birmingham Crown Court.

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