Police fear for the safety of a man accused of involvement in an ATM theft in County Antrim.

By Paul Higgins

Police fear for the safety of a man accused of involvement in an ATM theft in County Antrim.

During an unsuccessful bail application at Antrim Magistrates Court, a Detective Constable revealed how graffiti had appeared close to the home of Lee Wilson declaring him to be a “PSNI tout” with a target sprayed alongside it, adding that had “raised concerns for his safety” if granted bail.

31 year-old Wilson, from Benview Drive in Belfast, is one of three men accused of involvement in stealing an ATM worth £75,090 from a filling station on the Tully Road on 30 April this year.

While Wilson appeared at court via videolink from prison his two co-accused, David McClurkin (23) and 21-year-old Patrick Close appeared in person having previously been granted bail.

All three are accused of stealing the ATM, causing criminal damage to the Costcutters shop and arson of the Hitachi excavator used to rip the machine from the wall.

Close from Camlin Park in Crumlin and Wilson, are also accused of the theft of the Hitachi excavator used to smash the ATM from the wall and aggravated car theft relating to a blue Land Rover Defender.

Wilson is further accused of driving the stolen jeep without a licence and without insurance.

Previous courts have heard police evidence that at around 03.30 am, the hitachi digger was stolen from a nearby field before being used to steal the ATM and drop it into the Land Rover defender.

That jeep had been stolen from a property on Flush Road and it’s roof cut open said the officer, adding that four people were involved in the smash and grab.

Shortly after the ATM was stolen, the defender jeep crashed into a hedgerow on the Lylehill Road and a balaclava-wearing Wilson was arrested.

Close on the other hand, was not arrested until the following day, at a house close to where the defender jeep had been stolen from.

The detective said the police believe Close got into the stolen jeep “at some stage” before the incident and that he is seen on CCTV footage getting out of it at the Tully Road Cost Cutters.

During police questioning, Wilson made full admissions, telling officers he was “pressurised” into becoming involved but apart from confirming that a seized mobile phone belonged to him, Close refused to answer police questions.

According to the prosecution case, cell site analysis places Close’s mobile phone “no more than 100 metres from the service station” when the ATM was ripped from the wall.

Giving evidence to the court today (tues), the DC said police still feared that if granted bail, Wilson would commit further offences or interfere with the police investigation although she did concede that he only had two previous criminal convictions.

She told the court she had managed to expedite the report from Forensic Science NI on DNA findings which was initially due on 17 December but will now be received by 8 November.

Under cross examination from Wilson’s defence lawyer, the officer agreed that while the graffiti labelled him a tout, he had not given police any names of accomplices during police questioning.

“He only stipulated phone numbers,” the officer told the court.

The lawyer conceded that unlike his co-accused, Wilson has admitted his involvement so there was “no presumption of innocence” but submitted that with stringent conditions, the married father-of-two could be freed on bail.

Although District Judge Nigel Broderick highlighted that “the court will not allow criminal elements or vigilantes to dictate who gets bail,” he said he was refusing the bail application.

Unlike his co-accused, said the judge, “there is no presumption of innocence” and he shared police concerns that Wilson may reoffend or interfere with the investigation.

While Wilson will appear again on 5 November McClurkin, from Craighill in Antrim and Close, from Camlin Park in Crumlin, will appear on 12 November.