A gang member who used diggers to rip cash machines from the walls of businesses has been slapped with a longer prison term.

Anthony Pemberthy was previously jailed for eight years and nine months for his role in raids at petrol stations and supermarkets around Kent.

The 46-year-old was also ordered to pay back £108,000 of illegally obtained funds at a hearing in October 2024 following further work by police financial investigators.

However, as he failed to do so in time, he was brought back before a court on Tuesday, April 15 and had a further 18 months added to his sentence.

His co-defendant Stephen Davenport, 63, has repaid the £14,300 he was ordered to hand back, avoiding any extension to his seven-year and five-month jail time.

The pair were jailed in November 2022 for six incidents where diggers were used to rip ATMs from the walls of businesses.

The first offence took place at the Co-op in Cranbrook High Street in the early hours of November 14, 2019, where significant damage was caused to the store, and nearly £30,000 was stolen.

A pick-up truck and the cash machine were later recovered by police in Marden.

Two months later, on January 25, 2020, a burglary took place at the Esso petrol station on Cranbrook Road, Staplehurst.

During that incident, around £80,000 worth of damage was caused to the building and about £20,000 was taken.

On March 23, 2020, raiders using a digger tore two cash machines from the wall of Tesco Extra in Whitfield, near Dover.

The vehicles involved also drove at officers on foot who attended and rammed two police cars as they left the scene.

More than £200,000 was stolen and £40,000 of damage was caused.

The same group then took part in two failed attempts to steal cash machines; the first at Morrisons in Coldharbour Road, Northfleet, on January 31, 2021, and the second at Tesco Express in High Street, Dymchurch, on February 28, 2021.

Both buildings were severely damaged, but the offenders failed to make off with any money.

The final offence took place at Shell Lychgate petrol station on the A299 Thanet Way near Dargate, on March 1, 2021, when around £50,000 worth of cash was stolen.

Detectives used advanced DNA techniques to show Davenport, formerly of Ashford Road in Maidstone, was driving the pick-up trucks used during the Cranbrook and Staplehurst offences.

Meanwhile, Pemberthy, formerly of Calder Road, Maidstone, was found to have operated the diggers used in Staplehurst, Whitfield, Northfleet and Dymchurch.

Financial investigator Stewart Ross-Cumming said: “Criminals should know that our work does not end when they are jailed.

“We will continue to look into their finances and recoup the money they made from their offences. If they fail to repay these sums, further jail time awaits them.

“This work is part of the actions Kent Police takes every day to crack down on organised crime and get justice for victims.”