Vandal escapes prison after 10-month graffiti campaign on railways

A graffiti vandal who defaced trains, trams and railway buildings in south London and Surrey was today given an eight-month suspended prison sentence and an Asbo to prevent him carrying spray cans.

Unemployed Sean Kinsella, 22, inflicted £17,000 damage in a 10-month spray paint campaign between May 2007 and last March. He was targeted by British Transport Police in an operation over Christmas when the rail network is closed down.

Today at Southwark crown court, Kinsella, of Sanderstead, Surrey, pleaded guilty to seven charges of criminal damage - at Streatham Hill depot, Coombe Way Tram depot, Norwood Junction station, East Croydon station, South Croydon station, Fairfield Road bridge and Selhurst rail depot.

Pc Ian Garden, of BTP's graffiti unit, said Kinsella was responsible for spraying the tag DREAR on trains, trams and other rail property in Croydon, Streatham and Norwood Junction. He was also linked to the tag KC which stands for Kaos Crew.

Pc Garden said: "Kinsella was prolific in the Croydon area, regularly engaging in night-time tagging operations. Not only did he break into depots and sidings to commit his crimes but he risked his life by trespassing on rail property to get into carriages to deface property."

Kinsella was arrested on Boxing Day in 2007 but continued his graffiti campaign into last year while on bail. PcGarden added: "Network Rail, Southern and London trams in Croydon suffered a total of £17,000 damage. If you add to that the costs of removing the offending paint, the damage is substantial."

Sentencing Kinsella - who has convictions for graffiti dating back to 2001 - Judge Christopher Hardy said: "It seems like it was the form of an addiction to spray cans on other people's property."

The judge also imposed a 12-month supervision order, a six-month curfew between midnight and 6am and an Asbo preventing him going on any part of the railways not open to the public.