Man jailed for blowing up cash machines including Northamptonshire Asda ATM
A man has been jailed for blowing up cash machines across the country including an ATM at Asda in Raunds.
Kristopher Follos, 45, was handed an eight-year prison term for using home-made bombs – improvised explosive devices (IEDs) – to blow up cash machines in Northumberland, St Ives in Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire last year.
Sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court, Follos, from Morpeth in Northumberland, had been caught by a joint operation by officers from the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU) and Northumbria Police.
Follos was linked to the attack on the Asda store in Asda, Michael Way, Warth Park, Raunds on July 8, 2025. His device failed to break open the cash drawer but caused £3,500 worth of damage to the machine.
Lead officer in the case, NEROCU detective sergeant Patrick Naughten, said: “Follos has proven he is an extreme danger to the public and this sentence reflects the hard work officers and partners have put in to secure this result.
“I want to thank the dedicated specialist teams we have pursuing suspects and protecting the public.”
Police tracked Follos down after a string of incidents starting in May 2025 when officers received a report of an explosion outside Hedgeley Service Station near Alnwick.
It was reported that an ATM machine was left on fire following an explosion and those believed to be responsible had fled the scene empty handed after failing to open the cashpoint.
Officers from the NEROCU worked with local police to immediately launch an investigation and undertook extensive enquiries linking other similar attacks.
With the support of Bedfordshire Police, Follos was arrested at his home address on Olivers Mill in Morpeth.
As well as police catching their suspect, officers also discovered a small number of improvised explosive devices at the property. This resulted in the Explosive Ordinance Disposal team attending the scene to safely remove the devices.
Follos was subsequently charged with conspiracy to steal, conspiracy to cause explosions and making an explosive substance.
He appeared before North Tyneside Magistrate’s Court in September last year where he pleaded guilty to all charges and yesterday (Wednesday) he was sentenced to eight years in prison.
David Lee, Senior Crown Prosecutor at CPS North East, added: “The use of improvised explosive devices by Follos posed an obvious danger to members of the public, but he gave this little though in pursuit of his own financial gain.
"We have worked closely with our partners in NEROCU to build a robust case against Follos, securing his guilty pleas to all charges against him and a significant custodial sentence.”