Selfie Slots Thieves are sentenced

Benjamin Robinson and Daniel Hutchinson somehow thought that robbing slot machines presented the perfect time to take selfies. Unfortunately, their social-media vanity helped do them in, and they were recently sentenced for their crimes.

The duo wore balaclavas to disguise themselves as they raided casino slots across the UK. Robinson and Hutchinson would also occasionally lift their balaclavas to take selfies, which were posted to Facebook.

Their caper was eventually stopped when British authorities stopped them for speeding. According to the BBC, North Yorkshire Police found over £3,000 in cash (£1k of which was coins), balaclavas and a screwdriver in their car. Authorities were also able to grab photos off the pair’s Facebook s and other social media sites to connect them to the crimes.

Robinson, 30, was sentenced to 32 months in prison while Hutchinson, 24, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years. Hutchinson will also have to perform 120 hours of charity work.

Robinson didn’t seem too phased by the verdict and actually seemed to relish it. “I don’t care that [I’m] guilty,” he said. “I’m not bothered mate. I love it mate.”

Matt Walker, Detective Chief of the North Yorkshire Police, was very happy to bring these criminals to justice, especially given how they taunted authorities with their selfies.

“We knew we hit the jackpot when we investigated these lemons,” said Walker. “These offenders carried out a string of crimes with no thought for the businesses they were targeting – but ultimately their greed, arrogance and affinity for selfies proved to be their downfall.”

The men made a small fortune after stealing coins out of the slots. But the 32 months for Robinson seems particularly harsh for this kind of crime. The judge was likely angry about how nonchalant Robinson was during legal proceedings.

Perhaps the best-known slots thief of all time is Tommy Carmichael, who made a career out of tricking slots technology to pay out. He made his money by using devices such as the monkey’s claw to continually steal coins. He was caught twice in Nevada alone, landing him a spot on Las Vegas’ infamous “black book.” However, even he didn’t do as much jail time as Robinson is set for.