Prolific spray painter jailed after causing £7,000 of damage to trains and stations across South Wales

A man who cost Transport for Wales nearly £7,000 of damage after a 13-day graffiti spree has been jailed

Rufus Budd, aged 25, of no fixed address, was involved in six incidents between 23 November and 5 December 2019, where he targeted trains, stations, platform shelters and ticket machines in locations across South Wales including Wildmill, Ninian Park and Grangetown railway stations.

Budd was arrested on 5 December, and when searched, was also found in possession of a knife.

On 27 January, he pleaded guilty to six counts of causing criminal damage by spray painting and one count of possession of a bladed article. Today (7 February) at Newport Crown Court, he was handed a 16-month sentence and a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO).

The CBO, which will remain in place until further order, prohibits Budd from travelling on the rail network without a valid ticket and bans him from being in possession of spray paint on the rail network in England and Wales

Investigating officer PC Craig Farrell said: “Graffiti is not a victimless crime – it is in fact vandalism, which has huge financial implications for the rail industry and the trains people travel on.

“Budd is a prolific offender who has caused extensive damage at a number of locations. I hope this sentence sends a clear warning that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated on the railway, and these offenders will be brought before the courts.”

Simon Turton, Head of Security at Transport for Wales Rail Services, added: “A huge amount of work takes place every single day to keep our trains and stations looking their best for the communities we serve. So, when we do suffer vandalism it is really disheartening.

“We want people to be proud of their local station, which is why we’ve been investing £194 million in our stations and supporting our community station adopters and the brilliant work they do.

“We hope that this sentence will send a real message that we will not tolerate this kind of vandalism and will work closely with our British Transport Police partners to bring those responsible to justice.”