A BARROW man who played a role in defrauding betting shops up and down the country of more than £600,000 has been banned from entering any bookmakers for life.

Paul Hubbold avoided immediate jail time after he was sentenced alongside three other men who targeted Ladbrokes and Coral stores across the country.

He and the rest of the group were eventually tracked down by the police after staff from stores across the UK found thousands of pounds were missing when they were cashing up machines at the end of the day.

The group used laminated £20 and £50 notes to trick self-service betting machines into registering a deposit being made, before using a plastic lead to pull the note back before it was taken.

The men were sentenced at Kingston Crown Court after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud in an operation between July 2020 and June 2021.

Thomas Wheatcroft, 40, of Hunter Road, Portsmouth, was sentenced to four years and three months' imprisonment.

Charlie Shaw, 33 , of Wadham Road, Portsmouth, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment.

Michael Sadgove-Tarrant, 37, of Hanway Road, Portsmouth, was sentenced to one year imprisonment, suspended for two years.

And Hubbold, 59 , of Clarence Road in Barrow, was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for 18 months.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police identified 168 offences committed by the group, who travelled the country targeting different betting shops.

Enquiries were carried out and led officers to arrest Wheatcroft, Shaw and Sadgove-Tarrant in Basildon, Essex, in June. They were found to be in possession of bags of clothing which included 20 baseball caps.

They were compared against CCTV images from the offences and it was established that the group responsible for the thefts had been wearing the same clothing.

To date, the total loss to Ladbrokes and Coral has been £663,556.

Detective Constable Kevin Parley, who worked on the case, said: "The substantial sums of money stolen by the group is a significant loss to the businesses these men had targeted.

"We worked closely with security officials from both firms to carry out a joint investigation, which included gathering evidence to bring forward a robust case against the four men.

"I am pleased that Wheatcroft and Shaw, who were the main offenders, received custodial sentences, and I hope this provides some relief for the companies who have been affected by their actions."