Two graffiti artists who admitted to vandalising public sites around Carterton, Witney and Oxford over an 11-month period have been fined.
Brook Purvis, 34, of Whittington Place, Carterton and Matthew Carr, 24, of Cranham Street, Oxford, appeared at Oxford Magistrates' Court on Monday. The pair pleaded guilty to 25 counts of 'tagging', where they spray painted the phrase SP£ND on buildings in a long running campaign of vandalism, between February 2010 and January 2011.
They were both charged with damaging properties by spraying graffiti at a range of locations which included street signs. The pair were working as taxi drivers and were using their vehicles at the time the offences took place.
PC Duncan Johnson, from the Witney Neighbourhood Police Team, said: “Both police officers and police community support officers collated a large amount of evidence after seeing an increase in the SP£ND tag appearing around Witney.
“I am pleased that both men pleaded guilty as the evidence against them was strong, due to us undertaking a thorough investigation that saw their mobile phones and laptops being seized and searched.
“They have both been ordered to pay fines and compensation which will cover the costs of cleaning up the graffiti. Hopefully this shows that we take all forms of criminal damage seriously and this type of behaviour won’t be tolerated in West Oxfordshire.”
Brook Purvis was ordered to pay £2,200 in costs and compensation and also pleaded guilty to cultivation of a controlled class B substance. Matthew Carr was ordered to pay £2,900.
