Failed ATM Bombers Caught After £100k Damage
Two men have been slammed with hefty jail sentences after a bungled attempt to blow up two ATMs in Essex. Thanks to swift action from Essex Police’s serious and organised crime unit, Jamie Masters and Wayne Lewis were caught red-handed — and brought to justice.
The Explosive Blunders in Witham and Laindon
The duo targeted ATMs outside banks at Newlands Centre, Witham, and outside Tesco on Mandeville Way, Laindon. Their reckless actions caused more than £100,000 worth of damage — but left them with zilch cash.
The first bomb scare hit just after midnight on March 22, 2022, when CCTV captured Masters and Lewis placing a gas canister against the Witham ATM. They then tried to ignite a makeshift explosive. The blast wrecked the premises but failed to access any money.
On April 11, the blokes struck again near the Tesco ATM in Laindon. CCTV showed them planting another gas canister, but this time the explosive fizzled out with a firework-like pop. Again, no cash was stolen.
Swift Police Action and Hard Hitting Sentences
Police drilled down into CCTV footage, tracking down the pair via early morning raids on April 29, 2022. Masters, 34, from Romford, and Lewis, 42, from Woodford Green, were charged with conspiracy to burgle and causing explosions with intent to endanger life or property. Both pleaded guilty.
At Southend Crown Court on March 21, Masters got six years and eight months behind bars. Lewis was locked up for six years.
Detective Inspector Frazer Low warned: “Their actions were incredibly dangerous — risking lives and property with no know-how to control explosions. They endangered the public and themselves. Luckily, they left with nothing. Our team acted fast to nab them, and the evidence left them no way out but to admit guilt.”
