A man has been remanded in custody charged with theft after a cash machine containing £60,000 was ripped from a shop wall with a digger.
Lee Wilson, 31, of Benview Drive in North Belfast, was one of two men arrested following the theft of the ATM from the service station at Nutts Corner, Co Antrim.
He appeared before a district judge in Ballymena on Wednesday afternoon facing seven charges connected to the incident. Judge Nigel Broderick refused an application for bail.
The court heard that Wilson has made full admissions to police in respect of his role in the crime.
The theft was the latest in a spate of ATM thefts in Northern Ireland this year - 15 have been stolen so far in 2019.
Wilson, unshaven and wearing a grey jumper, nodded and said "Yep" when asked if he understood the charges he was facing.
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His solicitor, Paddy Hunt, told the court that his client - a married father of two - was a "bit player".
"He was a very small fish in what might be described as a larger pond," he said.
The lawyer, who described the raid as "inefficient and unprofessional", said Wilson was suffering from anxiety and depression and saw the opportunity to make only "several hundred pounds".
"He entirely accepted his responsibility and did not prevaricate with police," he added.
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A police officer, who told the court she could connect the accused with the charges, said Wilson claims he was "pressurised" by others into taking part.
She said he told detectives that he was told to drive the Land Rover to a primary school close to the filling station and then drive to the forecourt when ordered.
The officer said the vehicle had a "huge hole in the roof" and, when the ATM was lowered through it, Wilson drove it away.
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She said police were in close pursuit of the Land Rover within five or six minutes of the theft. At that point, she said, Wilson drove it on to a roadside verge and tried to flee.
"He ran off into a field and was then apprehended by police officers a short time later," she said.
The officer said police believed at least four people were involved in the crime.
She said Wilson was co-operative during police interviews and made "full admission".
Wilson stood in the dock accused of stealing an Ulster Bank ATM valued at £16,000 and containing £59,090 in cash.
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He is also accused of stealing the Hitachi EX100 digger used in the incident, and subsequently setting it on fire, as well as causing criminal damage to the shop in Tully Road that housed the ATM.
Wilson faces further charges of aggravated vehicle-taking in relation to the blue Land Rover Defender that was used in the theft, and causing damage to it.
He has also been charged with driving without a licence and insurance.
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