RNS Number:4744Q
Darwen Capital PLC
02 October 2003




                       FOR RELEASE 4.00 PM 2 OCTOBER 2003


                               DARWEN CAPITAL PLC

              ACQUISITION OF 20% OF SCOTT TOD DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED
                                       
Darwen Capital plc ("Darwen") announces that on 1 October 2003 it entered into
an agreement with A Cohen & Co plc ("Cohen") under which Darwen will acquire 20%
of the issued ordinary share capital of Scott Tod Developments Limited ("Scott
Tod") for #525,000 to be satisfied in cash. Galactic Enterprises Limited, a
company associated with a Massie family trust, has agreed to lend Darwen the
#525,000 to fund the acquisition.

The Directors of Darwen, having consulted with ARM Corporate Finance Limited,
the Company's Nominated Adviser, consider that the terms of the transaction are
fair and reasonable insofar as Darwen's shareholders are concerned.

Darwen is also in negotiations with the other shareholders in Scott Tod which
may lead it to acquire the remaining 80% of the issued share capital of Scott
Tod. Darwen expects to conclude those negotiations shortly. In the event that
Darwen is unsuccessful in acquiring the remaining ordinary share capital of
Scott Tod, David Massie, the Chairman of Darwen, has agreed to acquire the 20%
stake in Scott Tod from Darwen for #525,000 payable in cash.

Under the AIM Rules, the acquisition of Scott Tod would represent a reverse
takeover for Darwen and, accordingly, Darwen has requested that dealings on AIM
in its ordinary shares be suspended with immediate effect pending publication of
a circular to shareholders containing, inter alia, full details of the
acquisition and notice of an extraordinary general meeting at which
shareholders' approval of the acquisition will be sought. A further announcement
will be made in due course.

Darwen was admitted to trading on AIM in November 2002, with the stated prime
objective to select investments having the potential to show a good return to
its shareholders. The Directors of Darwen believe that the proposed acquisition
of Scott Tod will meet this objective, albeit through a different approach to
that initially considered.

Scott Tod, which was founded in 1978, distributes and maintains automatic teller
machines and is also involved in the development and manufacture of card vending
machines and the operation of banking systems. Its customer base includes pubs,
amusement arcades, bingo halls, car parks and other leisure operators, and
hospital and public health sector sites.

For further information:

Darwen Capital plc
David Massie, Executive Chairman                    020 7647 1700

Beattie Financial
Brian Coleman Smith / James Chandler / Amanda Sheehy 020 7398 3300



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