THEY boasted about their “art” on Facebook.
They even took photos of themselves with the images they had created.
But now two graffiti vandals behind a spate of damage across West Yorkshire could be made to pay.
A judge has suggested that the pair who caused an estimated £14,000 in damage to trains and track side equipment across the region should be made to clean up similar anti-social behaviour as part of their community payback work.
The two teenagers, who took photos of their illegal activity and made boasts on Facebook, were part of a so-called graffiti crew which carried out a spate of attacks at various locations including Huddersfield, Leeds, Brighouse, Bramley and Skipton.
Judge John Potter conceded that he had no control over what work David Broadbent, now 20, and 18-year-old Paul Scott would undertake.
But he said they may learn about the loss they caused to others by having to clear up similar damage.
“It seems to me, providing the environment is safe, there is no reason why unpaid work cannot be found for both of you to clear up the sort of mess that you have made”, Judge Potter told the defendants.
Broadbent, of Brook Street, Brighouse, admitted causing criminal damage to nine trains and five track side locations resulting in a clean up bill of £14,000.
The offences were committed between August 2009 and March 2010 when he was then 18.
His co-defendant Scott, who was only 16 at the time, was involved in some of the same incidents as Broadbent and he eventually admitted damage charges relating to two trains and 13 trackside locations between January and July 2010.
The clean-up bill for Scott’s activities was said to be about £3,000.
Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday that the duo were caught after a CCTV operator in Leeds city centre spotted them spraying their distinctive graffiti tags on a shop in Albion Street in April 2010.
Although they received a caution from the police for that incident, a specialist British Transport Police investigator was able to link the tags of “Mesie” for Broadbent and “Croke” for Scott to other vandal attacks.
Prosecutor John Topham said the pair were arrested in July 2010 and police found spray paints, drawings and graffiti magazines in Broadbent’s home.
His computer was examined and investigators found images of the graffiti.
“There were also Facebook messages between him and Scott and other people involved in this sub-culture, as it were, boasting about what work they had done and exchanging experiences”, said Mr Topham.
When Scott’s home in Tyersal Avenue, Bradford, was searched there were more than 100 graffiti images on his lap-top including more than 80 bearing the “Croke” tag.
Broadbent was yesterday sentenced to 10 months custody, but Judge Potter said he was able suspend that term for 18 months after taking account of his guilty pleas and health difficulties.
But he said Broadbent would have to do the maximum 300 hours unpaid work for the community.
Scott, who now has a graphic design business producing flyers and marketing material, was given a 12-month community order which includes 150 hours unpaid work and a compensation order of £500.
Judge Potter also told the pair that they would be subject to five-year anti-social behaviour orders which prevent them from going onto railway property which is not open to the public and bans them from possessing various types of paint, dyes and permanent markers in public places.
The judge told the defendants it was quite wrong to think that graffiti spraying did not cause any harm.
“There is significant harm caused by this sort of activity”, said Judge Potter. “It is not in any sense a victimless crime.”
The judge said there was loss caused to those who had to clean up the damage, inconvenience caused by trains being out of service and potential danger from vandals entering areas they were not supposed to go into.
Judge Potter warned Broadbent that he was reserving any breaches of the suspended sentence order to himself and he faced being locked up if he failed to undertake the unpaid work or re-offended.
THE graffiti vandals who targeted the rail network for 18 months and caused thousands of pounds damage were caught in a huge undercover operation.
David Broadbent, of Brighouse, and Paul Scott were ensnared in Operation Retrograde, run by British Transport Police.
It was launched after a spate of graffiti on trains and railway buildings across the Huddersfield area. The pair were caught on CCTV “tagging” a shop in Commercial Street, Leeds in April 2010.
They were arrested and cautioned but further investigation by detectives uncovered their tags – ‘MESIE’, ‘CROKE’, ‘GBH’, and ‘DB’ – on rail property in Huddersfield and Bradford.
The cost of damage to the infrastructure was estimated at £32,000.
When police raided their homes, a seized computer revealed numerous photos of their tags painted on trains and rail bridges as well as messages on social networking sites.
Spray paint cans were also retrieved from rucksacks as well as a camera which contained images of their tags.
Forensic evidence from one of their most recent tags in Huddersfield was also examined by crime scene investigators and matched traces found in Broadbent’s rucksack.
Det Con Jason Ridgway of BTP, said: “These vandals carried out a spree that caused rail operators an 18-month headache.
“The damage and clean-up costs have to be borne by someone and that someone is ultimately the fare-paying passenger.
“Their so-called tags, which were planned and well-organised, were placed with the sole intention of causing as much damage and disruption to passengers as possible.”
Warrick Dent, general manager for Network Rail, said: “Each year Network Rail spends more than £3.5m on the removal of graffiti – money which could otherwise be spent on improving the railway.”
