A man has been sentenced to six years in prison for burglary following the theft of three cash machines.

Nelson Walter Hilden, 49, and his team, targeted cash machines in vulnerable rural shops.

On December 12 last year the gang attacked stores in Lyminge, Wye and Lenham.

The first raid was at a food and wine store on Canterbury Road, Lyminge, at approximately 1.18am. The shop owner, who lives above the store, heard the noise in the street below and called police.

The gang fled after smashing the front door of the store, failing to remove the cash machine.

The second was at a Co-op store on Churchfield Way, Wye half an hour later.

A member of the public was driving along Churchfield Way as he saw two 4x4 vehicles travelling along the same road with their lights off and wearing balaclavas.

The driver was forced off the road onto a grass verge. The member of the public immediately called police.

The offenders had again failed to remove the free standing cash machine but caused over £50,000 worth of damage.

The third incident was in Honeywood Road, Lenham at about 2.26am at a convenience store.

The offenders used one of the 4x4 vehicles to crash into the front of the premises causing £50,000 of damage.

Members of the public called police after hearing a loud crash. The gang crashed through the front of the shop with one of the 4x4 vehicles in their bid to remove the cash machine. As they destroyed the front of the shop with the vehicle, they also caused damage to two parked vehicles. Using one of the 4x4 vehicles, the gang dragged the machine from the store and along the road but the machine became dislodged from the vehicle and was left in the road.

The gang fled from the scene as a police patrol car arrived. The patrol car followed one of the vehicles but lost sight of it after a few miles.

As the officers returned to the scene a second 4x4 approached them at speed and crashed into the patrol car injuring the police officer in the passenger seat.

Moments later the car was found abandoned near to the scene.

Forensic officers examining the windscreen found DNA evidence identifying Hilden as one of the offenders

Hilden, of Gallants Lane, East Farleigh, Maidstone, was then arrested and charged in December 2008.

He was jailed for two and a half years for the offence at Lyminge, six years for the offence at Wye and six years for the raid at Lenham, to run concurrently.

Det Insp Tom Richards from Kent Police's Serious and Organised Crime Unit said: "The selfishness, greed and complete disregard for others has led to this gang's attempt to steal from three village shops. The impact on the local community is significant as they have targeted businesses at the heart of the community causing disruption and damage in their wake.

"They have also put lives at risk, injuring a police officer attending one of the scenes but also those living in the premises above the shop at Lyminge and Lenham."