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Liverpool men jailed for cash machine raids

Three Liverpool men have been jailed for a nationwide spate of cash machine raids.

Carl Kettle, Lee Kettle and Barry Dillon were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday (May 5) to a combined 17 years for their role in the robberies.

The trio targeted cashpoints at supermarkets and petrol stations in Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Nottinghamshire and several in their native Merseyside.

Tesco stores in Woolton and Allerton, Sainsburys stores in Walton and an Asda in Bootle were among the local branches involved in the prolonged period of theft.

Police launched an 18-month investigation into the Kettle twins, both 40, and Dillon, who had carried out their scheme between January 2020 and April 2025.

Carl Kettle, from Fazakerley, and Lee Kettle, of Speke, were both sentenced to six years and eight months for conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to steal.

Dillon, 45 and from Aigburth, received a jail term of three years and eight months.
• Barry Dillon, of Galbraith Close in Aigburth was sentenced to three years and eight months in jail

Lead investigator David Brunskill said: “This was clearly a well-planned operation where the Kettle twins and Dillon caused considerable damage stealing cash machines at supermarkets across multiple counties.

“This meant the supermarket not only losing thousands of pounds of money but also costly repairs to the building and replacing the cash machines.

“They also stole emergency cutting equipment from fire stations which are used in critical incidents to save people’ lives. This was also an expense to the public purse to replace such items.

“Business theft is not a victimless crime, and especially businesses which provide an important service for the community.”

A dedicated portal where people can send CCTV, smart doorbell or dashcam footage of suspicious activity in your area but don’t know if it is linked to a specific offence. It can be uploaded here.

You can report criminal activity by contacting Merseyside Police social media desk via X @MerPolCC or on Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre. You can also report information via their website or call 101.

Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website here.