Graffiti gang jailed (From This Is Local London)

Graffiti gang jailed

2:55pm Sunday 12th October 2008 in News

A carriage graffiti-ed by the gang

A gang of graffiti artists have been jailed after a two-year campaign of vandalism on trains and stations around south London, including an attack to Epsom.

Tom Collister, 22, of West Wickham, Darren Austin, 21, of Beckenham, Joshua Piehl, 19, of Tunbridge Wells, and William Setzdempsey, 19, of Uckfield - who belonged to the Just Kant Stop and the Forever Doing Crime crew - were jailed for a combined total of more than six years for their part the £60,000 worth of damage.

British Transport Police said the four were prolific vandals who caused delays and disruptions to train services after they defaced carriages during organised overnight tagging sessions – many committed while on bail.

According to police, they were linked to the crimes through photographs, paint cans and materials seized from their homes, as well as vehicles belonging to Collister and Setzdempsey containing spray cans and masks.

Among the items were pictures taken of the gang at work vandalising trains.

Mobile text messages planning the attacks were also retrieved by police.

Detective Sergeant Pete Thrush said the vandals were so intent on causing damage that not even the threat of death had deterred them.

"In 2004 Austin was arrested for trespassing on the railway in an incident where he received an electric shock from the 750 volt live rail.

"Yet he continued to trespass to spray graffiti on trains and sidings.

"In 2006 he handed an ASBO preventing him from carrying spray paint, but he was subsequently linked to a series of offences."

D Sgt Thrush said the group were linked to crimes via photographs, paint cans and materials seized from their homes.

Vehicles belonging to Collister and Setzdempsey containing spray cans, masks and other materials were also seized.

Tags belonging to the group were linked back to offences across the southeast, including Epsom.

"Numerous bits of graffiti paraphernalia were seized during various house searches.

"Many had tags linking back to each of them on everything from railway timetables to shoe boxes, with even a pair of slippers being seized with their tags on it," D Sgt Thrush said.

He said the group would communicate by text message to plan their next attack.

One such message included: "Safe M8 U up 4 doin a live tube plot 2nite". Another stated: "I'm doin sum track sides by myself anyway I've got 6 cans of stella an paint."

D Sgt Thrush said: "These people are persistent dedicated vandals.

"The court has recognised the seriousness of the offences, the risk these young men take with their lives and the cost to the train companies and public of south London.

"I would rather see people go to court than go to the morgue."

The four sentenced on Friday after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit criminal damage.

Judge Stephen Robbins said, in sentencing, graffiti and criminal damage was a serious offence and a jail term would act as a deterrent to others.

"The fact is that this type of offending sickens members of the public who have their travelling lives blighted by this sort of criminal damage," he said.

Collister was sentenced to 30 months jail for conspiracy after he was linked to tags SKEAMS, SKEAMZ, SKEAM and FDC.

Austin was sentenced to 18 months jail for the conspiracy. He was linked to the tag FDC.

Piehl was sentenced to 12 months jail for the conspiracy. He was linked to the tags SKAM and JKS.

Setzdempsey was sentenced to 15 months jail for the conspiracy. He was linked to the tags NOIS and JKS.