Dumb crooks busted in £25,000 ATM raid by trail of bank notes

A pair of bungling crooks who blew up a cash machine were caught after they left a trail of banknotes leading to their hideout. Christopher Bowyer, 32, and Christopher Myatt, 20, risked killing themselves and those nearby when they used gas to blow up an ATM. After scooping £25,000 from the mangled dispenser the pair drove off in a getaway car ... but the pair left £2,500 of notes scattered around the area and a trail of cash in the direction they had made off. Police who raced to the scene were quickly able to trace the getaway vehicle with the help of a helicopter.

After being caught, Myatt’s mobile phone was checked by police and there were images of the ATM as well as internet searches for gas used in the explosion. His blood was also found on the cash machine itself and glass fragments were found in his shoe. Bowyer was said to be the 'brains' behind the plot - but said he didn’t physically get out to pump the gas or pick up the cash. Jailing Bowyer for eight years, and Myatt for seven and a half years, the Judge said he hoped the sentences would deter others doing the same thing.