A ROMANIAN man was today jailed for sixteen months for his part in an attempted card cloning scam at a cashpoint.

Sandu Pasca, 22, was one of three men involved in a plot to tamper with the cash machine at the Chalfont St Peter branch of Barclays Bank.

He was sentenced at Aylesbury Crown Court after pleading guilty to conspiring to defraud the bank, along with 'others unknown'.

But two of his alleged co-conspirators, Teo Dani Ferer and Florin Popa, are still at large after absconding from police bail earlier this year, the court was told.

All three men were initially granted bail after being arrested on February 12.

Police however withdrew bail in August when they learned Pasca, of Greenford Road, Greenford, Middlesex, had served time in a young offenders' institute for a similar offence in Northern Ireland in 2006.

Jamie De Burgos, prosecuting, told the court Pasca was then taken into custody – but the other two men are still on the run.

Mr De Burgos said the defendant's role in the plot, which saw an anti-skimming device tampered with and an attempt made to attach a cloning device to the cashpoint, was to act as lookout while Ferer and Popa vandalised the machine.

He told the court: “Police officers observed two men pulling at the cashpoint.”

The men left the scene, only to return in a green Volkswagen reportedly belonging to Ferer. They were once again observed by officers.

Police then stopped the vehicle at a garage, where equipment including a skimmer and a card reader were found. The three men were then arrested.

The anti-skimming device was removed on February 11, with an attempt made to attach a card reader to the cashpoint the next day.

Michael Hall, defending Pasca, said the defendant had been offered money to act as a lookout during the operation “by a man he is unwilling to name”.

Pasca was unemployed at the time of the offence, said Mr Hall.

Judge Seddon Cripps told Pasca through an interpreter: “You joined a team placing devices in ATM machines. The devices were to be used to obtain card details and PIN numbers to produce clone cards.

“On February 11 your team attacked a Barclays ATM machine. The bank had placed an anti-skimming device on the machine. Your team removed it.

“Officers arrested you and the others. They found the appropriate equipment in the car.

“Your team had travelled from London to attack machines in this county.

“It seems you were acting as lookout for the others, who were attacking the machines.”

Judge Cripps gave Pasca credit for pleading guilty, but said the offence was aggravated by his previous conviction and called for an “immediate custodial sentence”.

He was given a 16 month prison sentence, which he will serve half of. The 85 days he has already spent in custody awaiting sentence will count towards this.

Judge Cripps also indicated he was “amazed” Pasca, Ferer and Popa had been granted bail following their arrests.