The cashpoint kid: Romanian let his baby roll in £40,000 following £1m cash-machine scam

Fraudster Adu Bunu presented his nine-month-old son with a mountain of stolen banknotes.

Bunu, who is believed to have made more than £1million by cloning cashpoint cards, surrounded the child with £20, £10 and Euro notes. He then photographed the scene and sent the pictures home to Romania to show how easy it is in England to be literally rolling in cash.

Adu Bunu's son is pictured playing with the stolen money

Champagne-swilling Bunu, 34, was so brazen that even when caught he denied the snaps were evidence of guilt, insisting the money had been given to his son on his christening.

His claims were dismissed by a jury at Hull Crown Court, and last night he was beginning a five-year jail term after being convicted of cloning more than 2,000 cashpoint cards and milking his victims' accounts.

Official figures suggest that Romanians are responsible for the vast majority of offences such as this, and it is thought that Bunu is part of a gang. As the Government threw British borders open to all Romanians last year, the number of similar crimes is only likely to grow.

Bunu is believed to have initially come to England illegally in 2005 - his fingerprints were found on cashpoint machines used for huge frauds in the South in 2006.

At some point he slipped back home so, at the beginning of 2007 as Romania joined the European Union, he could return legally with a glamorous wife and newborn son

He described himself as a painter and decorator, and claimed to be seeking labouring work.

He moved into a rented three-bed semi in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, and immediately launched into crime with his Romanian accomplice Florin Palade, 33.

Bunu sent the photos to relatives back in Romania to boast

Noting a lack of CCTV cameras, they targeted cashpoint machines at two East Yorkshire supermarkets, Morrisons in Beverley, and Waitrose in Willerby.

They made false cashpoint fronts fitted with a card reader and pin-hole camera to record account details and PINs without raising suspicion. The devices could be fitted and removed in seconds.

In just four months, the pair collected details from more than 2,000 victims and cloned them on to loyalty cards, writing the PINs on the signature strips.They then travelled the country, covering up to 830 miles a day, to collect up to £500 a time with each card using different cashpoints to avoid detection.

In court it could be proved only that £43,000 was stolen, but the jury was told the fraud could have netted up to £1.1million within a matter of weeks. Neighbours said Bunu always dressed in designer suits, sometimes had two new BMWs, and that his back garden was littered with champagne bottles.

He was caught by chance after he was cautioned for speeding on the M62 last year, and gave police a fake driving licence.

Detectives investigating fraud at the Beverley supermarket had meanwhile installed hidden cameras - and recognised Bunu when shown a picture of him taken by the traffic police. They began tailing him.

On a single day last November he and Palade travelled 323 miles, taking cash from machines in Warrington, Lichfield and Hereford.

In the following days they took out more cash in Wakefield, Batley, Halifax and Dewsbury, usually from supermarkets without CCTV.

It was at this time that Bunu photographed his son on his blanket of cash.

Prosecutor Paul Reid told the jury: 'The pictures speak for themselves. It may give you some flavour of the way Mr Bunu felt about his endeavours. You can afford to be relaxed with cash when it is not your money.'

When police finally raided Bunu's home in January, they found evidence of thousands of pounds being transferred to Romania, and almost £4,000 in cash. His new BMW was parked outside.

Officers then raided his accomplice's flat nearby, and found the pair's workshop. There was a laptop containing details of 1,172 victims, eight false cashpoint fronts, and £2,000 in cash.

Palade has not been caught and, asked by police if he had partners in crime, Bunu said: 'No. What crime?'

Eventually he admitted theft but denied conspiracy, claiming he had taken money from cashpoints but had not masterminded the operation. His claims were rejected.

Judge John Swanson told him: 'You set yourself up to deprive the banks of as much money as you could. In this case some 2,008 bank accounts were cloned in a well-established conspiracy. It is the public who have to pay in the end.'

Hampshire and Sussex police still want to speak to Bunu about his fingerprints appearing inside three false cash machine fronts used in frauds in spring and summer 2006.

No comments are permitted on this story as legal proceedings are underway