Graffiti vandal ordered to pay £2,500 in compensation

Thomas Horsley, 27, of Heathmoor Park Road in Halifax, appeared at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates on February 26 where he was handed a 12-week community order and made to pay £2,500 compensation to Northern Rail.

The court heard how Horsley vandalised the first train on August 18, 2015 when he daubed graffiti on its side at Ilkley station with the tag ‘OIGANG’.

On September 6, 2015 Horsley graffitied a second train stationed overnight at Skipton railway station.

Both trains had to be taken out of service and professionally cleaned, leaving Northern Rail with a bill of more than £6,800.

Horsley was arrested on October 21 at his workplace after officers traced the car he had used to drive to the stations through Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology.

Officers seized and searched his car and discovered 13 aerosol cans in the boot.

His mobile phone was also seized and photos of his graffiti were found on it.

Detective Inspector Mick Dawes, from British Transport Police, said: “Horsley is now the fourth member of a West Yorkshire based graffiti gang who call themselves “Oi 42 Crew” to be prosecuted.

“Graffiti on railway property is not a victimless crime: there is a huge cost involved in trying to remove it, which is then passed onto rail users.

“It costs the rail industry millions each year to clean up after graffiti vandals, who try to slip under the radar by carrying out their crimes in the cover of darkness.

“We work hard to disrupt their activities and – as this investigation shows – we will use all options available to trace and prosecute them.

“This case should also act as a deterrent to other vandals who can be assured we are onto you and we will do everything we can to build a case against you and put you before the courts.”