by Lynn Cox

lcox@thekmgroup.co.uk

Two Romanian men been have been jailed after pleading guilty to criminal damage and going equipped to steal, after tampering with a cash machine in Strood.

The pair were arrested after they were seen tampering with the Barclays cash machine in the High Street on Wednesday night .

Marius Anastisia, 28, from East London, and 34-year-old Gabriel Danceanu of no fixed address were arrested at the scene just after 9pm.

They were charged with the two offences the next day and kept in custody to appear at Medway Magistrates Court, Chatham, today.

Magistrates decided to deal with the pair on their first appearance and Anastasia was sentenced to 40 days in prison and Danceanu was given 30 days.

Their arrests led Medway Police to contact colleagues in Crawley, Sussex, amid fears of a cloning scam.

Officers in Sussex sealed off several machines at branches of the bank in the town, so that forensic samples could be taken.

Both machines were found with articles related to fraud fitted on them.

Medway Police’s acting Sergeant Mark Froome, said: "This was a swift piece of work by officers in Medway who responded quickly and made two arrests at the scene.

"The men had little option other than to plead guilty and have now been sentenced.

"As a result of this investigation, further enquiries are continuing in relation to other offences across Kent and neighbouring counties in the South East."

"If any member of the public sees someone acting suspiciously around cash machines they should contact police immediately."