'King of Taggers' littered Wandsworth and other boroughs
A notorious graffiti vandal, dubbed “the king of taggers”, has been jailed for 27 months..
Daniel Halpin who littered Wandsworth and other neighbouring boroughs with hundreds of unsightly tags, is believed to have cost taxpayers more than £200,000 in clean-up costs.
He is believed to have sprayed various different tags, including his main one "tox" 613 times across Wandsworth. Most were found on railway property but he also struck at bridges, subways, noticeboards and bus shelters.
The case was brought to court following a lengthy investigation by British Transport Police, and evidence provided by the council's anti-graffiti team helped convict the 24-year-old from Camden, north London of seven counts of criminal damage.
Sentencing Halpin at Blackfriars Crown Court, Judge Clarke said: "There has to be a deterrent aspect. These offences have gone on, in your own admission, since the year 2000. You have been using TOX for a decade. Therefore I am sentencing you accordingly. Although you and others regard yourselves as artistic, there is nothing artistic about what you do."
Det Con Will Livings, the investigating officer, said: "The costs of graffiti are substantial for the railway industry in terms of repairs and clean-up, and can leave permanent scars on the infrastructure.
"The financial costs have to be borne by someone, and that someone is ultimately the fare-paying passenger. Trains are taken out of service for cleaning, sometimes for days at a time, causing disruption and delays for passengers."
Contact Wandsworth council's graffiti team on its 24 hour hotline (020) 8871 7049 or email graffiti@wandsworth.gov.uk
July 22, 2011