TWO men face going to jail after attempting a cash machine scam across south Essex.

Cristian Gherghel, 29, and Vasile Kiraly, 19, both pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court to one charge of going equipped for theft.

On November 22 the pair were spotted acting suspiciously by a Santander cash point in Chelmsford High Street at about 5.10am.

After police arrived at the scene, the pair were found with a camera, screwdriver, a piece of wood and superglue.

A search of Gherghel’s car found a Tom-Tom sat nav with addresses of banks in Rayleigh, Billericay, Wickford, Brentwood, South Woodham Ferrers, Braintree and Maldon.

Gherghel, of Atherton Road, Ilford, and Kiraly, of Heath Way, Dagenham, had planned to tamper with the cash machines in a bid to take photos of pin numbers via a camera attached to the ATMs.

Both are due to reappear at the same court on January 6 once pre-sentence reports are completed and were given unconditional bail.