Essex man who stole cards from cash machines jailed

Isidor Martinca pleaded guilty to 18 offences

A man who stole thousands of pounds after attaching devices to cash machines to steal bank cards has been jailed for 15 months.

Isidor Martinca, 36, of Loughton in Essex, targeted Barclays banks across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire between September 2021 and August 2022, a court heard.

Police found £6,960 in cash at his Collard Avenue home.

Martinca admitted fraud by false representation.

He also pleaded guilty to theft, possession of an article for use in fraud and possessing criminal property.

The first offence took place at Barclays in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, the court heard

St Albans Crown Court heard devices were fitted to cash machines, which made unsuspecting members of the public believe their cards had been retained. The PINs were secretly recorded and the cards removed shortly afterwards.

On 23 September 2021, Martinca was recorded on CCTV using a Barclays machine in Harpenden in Hertfordshire, where a "Lebanese Loop" was fixed.

Another man, who is still wanted by police, was seen watching the machine.

When a customer's card was retained, Martinca returned and extracted it.

On the same day, he used the card to withdraw £600 from Barclays in St Albans. The card was used again the next day. In total £2,400 was withdrawn.

Martinca used the same method in Hitchin, Radlett, Bedford and Royston.

'Large number of victims'

Defending, Jay Nutkins said Martinca was a married "hard-working family man" with a child who had worked legitimately at a nursery.

"He makes little excuse beyond saying he was having financial difficulties. His problem-solving needs to be addressed," he said.

But Recorder Henry Gordon rejected his plea for a suspended sentence and jailed him.

He said: "The offenses were over a long period of time with a large number of victims."

The court was told all the victims had had their missing money refunded by their banks.