THREE men who sparked a UK wide search after a spate of robberies at ATM machines, including one in Stevenston, have been caged for more than a year each.

Felix Stoica, 19, Forin Geblescu, 18, and Piper Dumitri 18, targeted machines all over the country and stole cash from people including an 84-year-old pensioner and a man in Stevenston.

In total they pocketed £1,100 but were eventually caught when police south of the border recognised them from a robbery in Wirral, Merseyside.

They are all serving time in a young offenders’ institute as a result of committing a similar crime.

At Glasgow Sheriff Court, the teenagers all admitted a charge of assault and robbery at an HSBC bank on Argyle Street Glasgow by pushing a woman and stealing £200 on April 1 last year.

Stoica pled guilty to a further four charges of theft, Geblescu and Dumitri to another three charges of stealing cash on April 21 and 22 at various Scottish bank machines.

On Friday, Sheriff Daniel Scullion detained each of the teenagers for 14 months reduced from 21 months for their crimes.

At an earlier hearing procurator fiscal depute John Bedford told the court that Stoica and Dumitri targeted a bank on Kilwinning Road, Stevenston on April 21

A man, age 51, was approached by the men when he used the cash point outside a Morrisons supermarket.

Mr Bedford told the court: “Dumitri placed a wallet over the screen of the ATM and began talking to the man in a foreign language.

“Stoica then approached him and placed what appeared to be a map of the cash dispenser.

“Stoica then pressed £200 and removed his money and they made off.”
The incident was seen by another shopper in her car and the police were contacted.

Earlier that day, at an ATM on Princes Street, Port Glasgow, an 84-year-old woman tried to use the ATM when Dumitri told her “I’m here to fix this”.

He touched the machine as though fixing it while holding what she thought was a tablet.

When the woman left the machine she dropped two store cards which Dumitri picked up and gave back to her.

When she reported the broken machine to Lloyds TSB, they confirmed it was working and £200 had been taken from her account. around 3pm, the woman, who is 59-years-old, started to use the ATM machine when she spotted Geblescu close to her right side.

He pushed her away and said “machine no working”.

She tried to push to get back to the machine when Stoica came at her other side to stop her.

Mrs Woodrow was overheard by a shopper across the road watching, crying and saying “give me my money” but the two accused ran off.

The bank confirmed £200 was taken from her account and CCTV showed Dumitri was nearby as the “lookout”.

The Romanian trio targeted a machine in Newton Mearns the following day when a woman, aged 77, was using it.

Stoica and Geblescu made off with £300.

All three were caught on CCTV half an hour before the incident in an Audi car. Dumitri was again the “lookout”.

Their final victim was stung on High Street, Biggar at a Bank of Scotland machine by Stoica and Geblescu.

The 28-year-old Norwegian female had £200 stolen as she tried to take money out.

Police Scotland circulated a UK wide bulletin to try and identify the teenagers - leading to police in Manchester and Wirral recognising them.

In August last year Stoica was given two years, Geblescu 16 months and Dumitri eight months behind bars for a similar offence in Merseyside.
They came to Glasgow in September to face charges.