Saturday 22 September 2007

LONDON: Top deck ban for graffiti vandal

Top deck ban for graffiti vandal


Billy Murrell

Murrell risks detention if he breaches the order

A prolific graffiti vandal has been banned from the top deck of any public transport bus anywhere in the country.

Billy Murrell, 17, from Plumstead, south-east London, has several criminal damage convictions on trains and buses using marker pens, police said.

It is the first time Transport for London (TfL) has obtained an anti-social order against a "tagger".

The order also bans Murrell from carrying marker pens or sharp instruments on public transport.

The anti-social behaviour order (Asbo) which is valid for three years, was issued at Greenwich Magistrates Court on 12 September.

If Murrell, whose tag is "Raider", is in breach of the order, he risks detention of up to 24 months or up to five years in jail once he is over 18.

Jeroen Weimar, of TfL, said "Murrell's vandalism has affected many other bus and train users.

"This Asbo demonstrates the role that TfL can play in resolving crime and disorder problems in our community."

TfL was granted the power to apply for Asbos through the courts in its own right in September 2006.

Operation BusTag, a joint TfL and police initiative targeting criminal damage, has seen 1,900 people arrested in the past two years.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7006379.stm

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