Violent Thieves Sent Down After Smash-and-Grab Spree
Joseph Hoadley and Grant Searle sparked chaos across North Kent with a brutal ATM ram raid, shop robbery, and a string of home burglaries. The pair were locked up after a dramatic crime spree that caused thousands of pounds of damage and spread fear among local communities.
ATM Theft Causes £11,000 Damage
In the early hours of 28 November 2019, Hoadley and Searle used a Ford Transit van to ram the front of Northfleet Food and Wine, smashing through the shop’s frontage and causing around £11,000 in damage. Hoadley then strapped a cord from the store’s ATM to the van and tore the machine free. Searle fled in the Transit, while Hoadley escaped in a separate car.
The stolen Transit was later found abandoned under a railway bridge in Cobham, with the cash machine dumped in the back. CCTV footage clearly caught the raid in action.
Armed Co-op Shop Robbery Days Later
Just 10 days after the ATM heist, the duo struck again at a Co-op in Ebbsfleet. Searle forced a shop worker to raise his hands before both men bundled him to the back of the store. Inside the stockroom, Hoadley threatened another employee with a hammer and forced open the safe, making off with a large sum of cash in a black Mercedes.
Burglary Spree Hits Homes and Vehicles
- Between 25 November and 4 December 2019, the pair targeted homes in Gravesend, Dartford, and Meopham.
- They stole two vehicles during a home invasion in Dartford and snatched cash from a Gravesend property.
- In Meopham, they burgled two houses, stealing a car and an air rifle.
- A luxury watch was pinched from a home in Freeman Road.
Captured and Sentenced
Police tracked Hoadley and Searle to a hotel in Dartford using CCTV, phone data, and roadside cameras. Inside, officers found clothing linked to the Co-op robbery. Both men had been on remand since their December 2019 arrest.
Hoadley, 26, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of conspiracy to burgle and robbery. He was jailed for 10½ years. Searle, 29, also admitted the charges and received 11½ years, plus additional sentences for offences including fraud and handling stolen goods outside Kent.
Police Praise Team Effort
“These two men caused exceptional harm with remorseless, callous offending—willing to use violence to get their way. They posed a serious danger and would have continued if caught later,” said Chief Inspector Junior Dann of Kent Police.
“This justice is thanks to our Serious Organised Crime Unit, the Chief Constable’s Crime Squad, North Kent CID, and Gravesham Local Policing Team. Their work has made north Kent safer.”
