MEMBERS of a gang who tried to clone bank cards by fitting a device to a cash machine in Wootton Bassett have each been jailed for two years.

The gang of illegal immigrants from Romania arrived in North Wiltshire to copy people's bank details with the intention of plundering their accounts.

But the trio, who were living in London, were spotted by a CCTV operator in Wootton Bassett and arrested by a police patrol.

Officers found a hi-tech device in the gang's car designed to look like a cash machine fascia but containing a card reader, camera and radio transmitter to send the stolen data to a computer.

Police also recovered a list of banks which were targets across the north of county, Swindon Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Colin Meeke said Ciprian Lungu, 32, Alexandru Popa, 19, and Marius Rosca, 28, came to the town on the evening of Friday February 25.

At about 8.30pm a CCTV operator monitoring the screens saw the men acting suspiciously.

"He watched them as they made their way to the HSBC in Station Road and saw one of them kicking at the cash machine," he said.

"He alerted the police and watched as one of the men took something from under his jacket and placed it near the cash machine.

"Police officers were directed to the area found the three defendants and their car.

"An item was recovered from under the front passenger seat that had all the appearance of the face of a cash machine but inside it had an electronic circuit board and its own battery.

"It was clearly designed to be stuck to the face of a cash machine to read the magnetic strip of any card put into it."

He said the camera was trained on the keypad so the crooks could decipher the PIN numbers of the card holders.

When the trio were questioned they admitted taking part in the operation, one admitting they expected to get paid about £200 for their part.

Lungu, of West Norwood, south London, Popa and Rosca, both of Willesden, north west London, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal.

Tab McFarlane, defending, said that like in the drug trade the 'Mr Bigs' rarely saw the inside of courts and that the three defendants were merely foot soldiers.

She said that they were all illegal immigrants from Romania who had made applications to stay but, until the applications were decided, they were not officially allowed to work.

She said because of that they were easy prey for criminals looking for people to do this sort of thing to earn cash.

She said: "What is over-whelmingly clear is that all these three young men want to do is lead a law-abiding life and work.

"It is the only reason they came over here. They want to work and send money home but they can't by legitimate means."

She said that while this sort thing was uncommon in this area, London was rife with similar offending.

Jailing them Judge John McNaught said: "Honest citizens depend on the integrity of cash cards and bank machines.

"You three men played a part in an organised criminal activity to steal from these machines.

"You came from London with sophisticated equipment and tools to enable bank cash machines to be tampered with for the purpose so that people could steal.

"Not only did you have equipment and tools but you had a list of banks that were to be your targets.

"I readily accept that you may not be the organisers of this crime but all of you willingly played your part in it.

"The court sentence must deter people like you who play small parts in the operation from getting involved."

He also ordered the confiscation of the equipment and the car they used, owned by Rosca.

Jamie Hill