Three men, who used quad bikes to steal cable from the railway near Doncaster, costing the network £250,000, have been jailed to a total of 11-and-a-half years.
Andrew Walkden (20) of Hawthorne Grove, Bentley; Aaron Platts (24) of Swaithe Avenue, Scawthorpe; and Aaron Sampson (22) of Winnipeg Road, Bentley were jailed on Wednesday, April 24 at Doncaster Crown Court for conspiracy to steal.
Walkden pleaded guilty on the first day of the trial, earlier, while Platts and Sampson denied the charge. Platts and Sampson were jailed for four years whilst Walkden was given three and a half years.
Christopher Hunter (29) of Arthur Street, Bentley, was given a five-month suspended sentence and ordered to carry out 180 hours community service after pleading guilty to a proceeds of crime offence. The court heard how Walkden, Platts and Sampson attacked the Bentley railway tracks on 17 occasions between March and October 2011.
British Transport Police (BTP) were first alerted to the group in June 2011 when a member of the public witnessed a quad bike leaving the Bentley Junction area with about 12 metres of cable attached to the rear.
Officers attended the scene and, with aid from a police helicopter, Sampson was located on the blue Suzuki quad bike making his way from the scene.
He was tracked and arrested. Forensics at the scene also discovered items, which, after examination, revealed DNA matching that of Walkden. Both were arrested and their phones were seized for investigation.
After incidents in the Ings Lane, Marsh Lane and Bentley Community Woodlands area, officers identified the group were responsible for all, including one theft that saw 1,000 metres of cable stolen. Forensics were linked to Sampson, and he was later arrested for the offences. Network Rail estimates the total costs of repairing and replacing the damaged cable as around £250,000.
Detective Inspector Stuart Mellish, of British Transport Police (BTP) said after the case: “We welcome the strong sentences handed down to these three men following a complex 16-month investigation by detectives.
“This organised gang worked together to not only trespass on the railway, but used sophisticated techniques to pull and extract railway equipment – which is essential in keeping the railway running.
“I’d also like to thank the vigilant member of the public for coming forward and reporting the initial incident. Thanks to his alertness, officers were able to swiftly take action and intercept these thieves.
“BTP encourages people to continue to report any suspicious behaviour near the railway, or in their communities, to police so we can work together to drive this crime down further.”
Figures released recently by Network Rail show that the number of cable theft incidents affecting rail services across South Yorkshire fell by 82 per cent. Network Rail has been working with partners in the railway and from other essential infrastructure industries to tackle this crime which, at its peak, caused more than 800 hours worth of delays to trains in the area in a single year.
The sentencing follows the jailing of Terry Scott and Michael Manton, who received a total of three years imprisonment, at Sheffield Crown Court, after stealing from the railway in Barnby Dun in September 2012.
Terry Scott (26) of Broadway, Goole, was jailed for two years after pleading guilty to theft, attempted theft, perverting the course of justice, converting criminal property and producing cannabis.
Michael Manton (46) of Station Road, Norton, Doncaster, was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment after pleading guilty to attempted theft and converting criminal property.
Phil Verster, Route Managing Director for Network Rail, said: “I am pleased that the court has recognised the seriousness of attacks such as these upon our railway. Passengers and essential freight services in South Yorkshire were delayed by a total of 268 hours last year because of cable thefts.
“This is not acceptable. We are starting to see a reduction in crimes but cable theft remains a significant problem. We will continue to work with British Transport Police to find thieves and bring them to justice.”
