Bristol graffiti vandal's 288 attacks cost thousands
A PROLIFIC graffiti vandal who was sentenced last year for causing damage totalling £10,000 across Bristol has struck again – this time leaving a clean-up bill of at least £3,800 in his wake.
Matthew Jones, 20, admitted he was responsible for 142 offences of criminal damage when he appeared before court in November last year.
-
Matthew Jones outside Bristol Magistrates Court
He was hauled before court again on Friday and admitted being behind a further 146 offences of graffiti tagging.
Jones pleaded guilty to leaving his tag "Norm" or "Nrm" on a lamppost belonging to Bristol City Council, an electricity substation belonging to Western Power Distribution, a van, a church wall, a youth centre and a railway bridge belonging to Network Rail. The court was told he vandalised property in Fishponds, St Philip's and St Jude's from January 1 to September 9.
He told magistrates he was responsible for a further 138 offences across the city.
The cost of removing each of the tags was between £30 and £70, the court heard.
May Li, prosecuting, said the total clean-up cost was £3,825 but explained that the figure did not account for 64 of the offences.
She said police arrested Mr Jones when they caught him and two other men spraying paint onto property in Fishponds Road on September 9.
Jones also pleaded guilty to producing cannabis with his friend Charlie Chittell-Gilholm, 22, at a flat they shared in Oxford Place, Easton. The court heard the pair cultivated 17 plants on a windowsill in Chittell-Gilholm's bedroom.
Sarah Iles, defending Jones, of King Road, Knowle, said he was struggling to stop his habit of vandalising property because he was surrounded by friends who were graffiti artists.
But she said: "I'm pleased to report he's no longer in that environment any more and he's not living with friends in Easton and is now living with his grandmother in Knowle.
"His life today is a very full and constructive one and his offending his now behind him."
Ms Iles said her client was taking a music course at college.
She said: "He's a very talented individual and he's using that talent constructively and putting his past behind him. Since September, he's not used graffiti."
Of her client growing cannabis, she said Jones and his flat mate Chittell- Gilholm had decided to grow the Class B drug for their own use because they could not afford to buy it. She said their bid to cultivate cannabis "was not a sophisticated or successful operation".
Magistrates gave Jones a 17-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and told him to abide by a 12-week curfew. He was also told he would be supervised by the Probation Service for 18 months.
Magistrates agreed Jones would not be asked to pay compensation because he would be unable to pay it.
Chittell-Gilholm, of Belvoir Road, St Andrew's, was given a 12-month community order and told to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work for his role in growing the cannabis.
51 Comments
View all
by John_Name
Wednesday, December 14 2011, 6:17PM
“Must I do this yet again?!?”
by arealbristol
Wednesday, December 14 2011, 1:24PM
“Here you go John.
I think he has done it lots of times... and has been prosecuted twice...
"http://tinyurl.com/c3h2wfv”
by John_Name
Wednesday, December 14 2011, 12:56PM
“I think that my two exertions have given me some insight into what it is like to be a duh-brain.”
by qunfud
Wednesday, December 14 2011, 12:27PM
“@Morrissey9
"I wish they'd stop referring to stuff like this as grafitti. He went around with a marker pen and wrote his nickname, literally hundreds of times, on walls and other people's property. Just take a look at Nelson St to see how different decent "grafitti" can be - even that is only grafitti in name, it is just painted murals on buildings at the end of the day."
Well, literally, 'graffiti' is Italian for 'written', so you can see the BEP's point. I agree that 'tagging' would be more appropriate; it's rather like a dog raising its leg on a lamp post to show it's been there.
What infuriates me is tagging which defaces genuine street art. Presumably it gives the moron some satisfaction, although for the life of me I can't see how.”
by John_Name
Wednesday, December 14 2011, 12:19PM
“norm norm normnnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normorm nornorm norm normnnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm norm normorm nornorm norm normnnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm norm normorm nornorm norm normnnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm norm normorm nornorm norm normnnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm norm normorm nornorm norm normnnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm norm normorm nornorm norm normnnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normorm norm normnorm norm normnorm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm norm normorm nornorm norm normnnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnormnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm norm normorm nornorm norm normnnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnormnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm norm normorm nornorm norm normnnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnormnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm norm normorm nornorm norm normnnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnormnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm norm normorm nornorm norm normnnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm normnorm norm no”
by John_Name
Wednesday, December 14 2011, 12:16PM
“@arealbristol
He did it twice? Right then.”
by geeveeh
Wednesday, December 14 2011, 11:43AM
“....and maybe banksy could follow him....”
by Morrissey9
Wednesday, December 14 2011, 11:35AM
“I wish they'd stop referring to stuff like this as grafitti. He went around with a marker pen and wrote his nickname, literally hundreds of times, on walls and other people's property. Just take a look at Nelson St to see how different decent "grafitti" can be - even that is only grafitti in name, it is just painted murals on buildings at the end of the day.”
by arealbristol
Wednesday, December 14 2011, 11:15AM
“Tasha in a similar way that I asked Dutty to clear up the points that were missed in court by the recorder, please can you explain how Matthew has been falsely portrayed given that he has admitted to multiple offences in court?
He was caught doing the same thing not long ago. He has caused over £14,800 woth of damage with another 200 offences taken into consideration (i.e not seperately punished or charged for). Hardly smacks of good character does it? Gets caught, ignores the punishment and then does it all over again.”
by Rosbs
Tuesday, December 13 2011, 10:13PM
“Lock him up for a good 3 months”