Joseph Hiles
Graffiti yob Joseph Hiles is today unmasked as the face behind Sunderland's infamous "Rain" tag.
The 19-year-old's public handiwork has caused such concern that he has now been banned from possessing spraypaint cans or marker pens.After an extensive police investigation, he has also been barred from entering any Metro or Railtrack property, after the tag was scribbled across Sunderland's transport system.
Police have slapped Hiles, of Kidd Square, Town End Farm, with a two-year Antisocial Behaviour Order (Asbo), in the hope it will curtail his criminal activities.
For the past 12 months, the Echo has reported how walls and buildings across the city have been repeatedly defaced with the Rain tag.
The signature quickly became Sunderland's answer to the notorious "Inch" name that plagued the North East for many years.
Hiles appeared before Sunderland Magistrates' Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to three charges of criminal damage. He also had 18 matters of criminal damage, all involving the same tag, taken into consideration.
He was sentenced to a 12-month community order, as well as receiving the Asbo.
Inspector Sarah Pitt, of Sunderland Area Command, said: "This is a prolific offender who we know has been responsible for significant criminal damage across the whole of the city.
"Now, if he is caught in public with a spraypaint can or a marker pen, he is in breach of his Asbo and can be brought back to court.
"Graffiti is not only antisocial, it needs to be cleaned up at great expense to the tax-payer. It also has an impact on the community. We hope this case demonstrates we will prosecute those responsible."
The conditions of his Asbo state Hiles is prohibited from "possessing spraypaint cans, marker pens or paint and brushes for the purposes of graffiti", as well as being "banned from entering any Nexus or Railtrack property".
A spokesman for Nexus, operator of the Metro, said: "Joseph Hiles is a prolific Metro graffiti vandal and we welcome this action taken by the courts because he has cost Nexus and the taxpayers thousands of pounds to clean up his mess.
"This shows that criminals who vandalise our property will be brought to justice."
Just weeks ago, Network Rail claimed thousands of pounds which could be spent on improving the rail network on Wearside has been diverted into dealing with graffiti vandals.
Police say the yobs, who take risks by trespassing on bridges and railway lines, not only cost the taxpayer thousands of pounds, they also risk their own lives.
Nexus spends £350,000 a year to remove daubings from trains, stations and trackside buildings, and clearing messages scratched into windows and doors.
About £1.3million is spent in the North East region each year on removing graffiti.
http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/Prolific-teenage-vandal-unmasked.3198507.jp
5 comments:
this is fucking ridiculous.
ASBO SLAPPED ON 'YOB' for doing criminal damage with paint, which makes things look nicer.
your big flash car has paint on it, you paint your house, and there's paint on the roads.
is that causing damage?
is it fuck.
it makes it looks nicer, and in the cars case it stops the thing from rusting. which STOPS damage.
would you call vangough a vandal?
i for one am sick of you lot and the media posting us 'youths' as mass murderers, and muggers, and vandals, and you seem to think that is all we care to do.
the only reason we get foul moutheds is because you take the piss so much and piss us off even more.
As for the 'graffiti NEEDING to be removed costing taxpers' and all that bollocks. i'm sure there are other things higher on the priority list than some kid who decides to treat you people with writing a name in pretty colours in a city that is so grey.
the PAINT does no damage. the REMOVAL of the paint does the damage. i'm sure all that abrasion and squirting with god knows what chemicals is not exactly good for anyone. and yet the artist gets the blame ?
theres something slightly contradictory going on here.
PS. if you're coing to complain about the cost of removing it, simply don't remove it. i swear, nobody today has any form of sensible logic whatsoever.
and please give me your views. i can guarantee this will be critiscised as the majority of people who don't like youth's don't value their opinion. they just stare at us from their big fat Land Rovers killing themselves with carbon and burning holes in their wallets, and they INSTANTLY pin all the guilt and problems of the world on us. i'm just waiting for the day that some 'yob' kid gets blamed for the oil running out. dear world, go fuck yourself.
this is fucking ridiculous.
ASBO SLAPPED ON 'YOB' for doing criminal damage with paint, which makes things look nicer.
your big flash car has paint on it, you paint your house, and there's paint on the roads.
is that causing damage?
is it fuck.
it makes it looks nicer, and in the cars case it stops the thing from rusting. which STOPS damage.
would you call vangough a vandal?
i for one am sick of you lot and the media posting us 'youths' as mass murderers, and muggers, and vandals, and you seem to think that is all we care to do.
the only reason we get foul moutheds is because you take the piss so much and piss us off even more.
As for the 'graffiti NEEDING to be removed costing taxpers' and all that bollocks. i'm sure there are other things higher on the priority list than some kid who decides to treat you people with writing a name in pretty colours in a city that is so grey.
the PAINT does no damage. the REMOVAL of the paint does the damage. i'm sure all that abrasion and squirting with god knows what chemicals is not exactly good for anyone. and yet the artist gets the blame ?
theres something slightly contradictory going on here.
PS. if you're coing to complain about the cost of removing it, simply don't remove it. i swear, nobody today has any form of sensible logic whatsoever.
and please give me your views. i can guarantee this will be critiscised as the majority of people who don't like youth's don't value their opinion. they just stare at us from their big fat Land Rovers killing themselves with carbon and burning holes in their wallets, and they INSTANTLY pin all the guilt and problems of the world on us. i'm just waiting for the day that some 'yob' kid gets blamed for the oil running out. dear world, go fuck yourself.
bollocks
go and do something usefull
hey bryan....i'll deface your fucking face you freek!
'graffiti yob'
how does doing graffiti make man a yob? fucking wankers. there is dirty smackheads killing old women who get off lighter.
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