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Graffiti gang admit two-year campaign against railwaysHaroon Siddique and agencies guardian.co.uk, Thursday June 12 2008Article historyA gang has admitted carrying out a two-year campaign of graffiti attacks across the UK and Europe that cost hundreds of thousands of pounds in clean-up costs.
The group, known as the DPM crew, targeted trains and railways, mainly in south London. But they also committed crimes in Liverpool, Manchester, Sunderland, Paris, Amsterdam and the Czech Republic.
Areas targeted in south London included Grove Park, Orpington and Croydon Tramlink depots and Dartford sidings. British Transport estimated the cost of the crimes to the rail industry to be at least Ł600,000.
Nine men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit criminal damage at Southwark Crown Court following a seven month investigation by British Transport Police, named Operation Shuttle.
Four of the men were caught red handed through covert surveillance.
One of the gang, Andrew Gillman, 25, from Battersea, sprayed the outdoor set of the TV programme EastEnders while working for the BBC's art department. He had used a false name to get the job while on bail in late 2007.
Detective superintendent Michael Field, who led the inquiry, said that members of the gang thought they were "untouchable".
"They would often be masked and conducted almost military style operations in the belief that nothing could be proved against them," he said.
"Graffiti is an attack on the community and the environment. It is anti-social and destructive and it's a crime we take very seriously."
He added that the men convicted were "only part of the DPM crew".
The conspiracy charges covered 120 offences. Most of the men were arrested in June 2006.
The nine who admitted conspiracy to commit criminal damage were: Jack Binnie, 25, from Lewisham; Andrew Gillman, 25, from Battersea; Ziggy Grudzinskas, 25, from Blackheath; Alex McClelland, 24, from Dulwich; Matthew Pease, 24, from Lewisham; Paul Stewart, 26, from Lewisham; Matthew Tanti, 23, from Streatham; James Teasdale, 21, from Dulwich and Slav Zinoviev, 25, from Battersea.
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