A Leamington man will spend 20 months behind bars for admitting causing delays to thousands of passengers by stealing cable from a Warwickshire train line. 
26-year old Wayne Griffin targetted metal on the lines at Lapworth and Brinklow 4 times last July.
His actions meant passengers on 43 services had to catch buses instead of their usual trains.
As well as delaying thousands of passengers it meant Network Rail had to spend £305,000 it could have used improving the line on compensation.
Speaking after today’s hearing, Jo Kaye, Network Rail route director, said: “A great deal of effort by our people and British Transport Police resulted in Griffin being brought to court.
“Criminals like him disrupt the lives of thousands of people and result in huge amounts of money being wasted that could otherwise be used to improve the railway.
“I hope this sentence sends a clear message to all would-be thieves about the consequences of being caught.”
Detective Inspector Robin Conway, who led the investigation for British Transport Police, said:
“While many criminals see cable theft as a victimless crime, the reality is that it is an attack on communities and the very infrastructure that keeps the country operating.
“Without vital rail services, many people cannot go about their daily business which means work hours are lost, appointments are missed and important visits – perhaps to hospitals or loved ones – cannot be made.”
Anyone with information about cable theft should contact British Transport Police or Crimestoppers where they can report the crime anonymously and could receive up to £1,000 reward if their information leads to a conviction.
Contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 or the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 9:37 pm