The Court of Appeal increased the sentences of the two men, Mark Marfleet, 37, of Palatine Road, and Paul Warmisham, 35, of Chorley Road, Sale for blowing up cash machines with explosives and conspiracy to steal after a referral under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
His June 2015 attack on Timperley Post Office caused such devastating interior damage that the post office was shut for three months.
A single mum who was asleep in the flat above was woken by an explosion which was so powerful it demolished her staircase and ripped through the ground floor area – while her four-year-old son was left “traumatised”. The damage and financial loss amounted to £138,000.
Between June and September 2015 the court heard, the pair stole two cash machines and attempted to steal another, using explosives to blow the front of the machine to access the money inside.
Whilst on bail for these offences, Marfleet also robbed a newsagents with another man who remains unidentified. The two men were armed and during the robbery doused the shopkeeper in petrol and threatened to set him alight.
Marfleet was sentenced to 11 and a half years imprisonment, whilst Warmisham received a 7 and a half year custodial sentence. Marfleet laughed on hearing almost half his sentence would be served on parole.
Following the hearing, the Solicitor General said: “The actions of these offenders showed a serious lack of consideration for the safety of those around them. The long lasting effects on the victim and her young son cannot be underestimated.
“I am pleased that the Court of Appeal has agreed that the original sentence was unduly lenient and has sought to increase the sentences given to these offenders.”