A man that was caught red-handed stealing cable from the railway at Gwinear Road Level Crossing in Hayle has now been sentenced, following a British Transport Police investigation.
Martin Dickson, aged 47, of Cardrew Close, Redruth, has pleaded guilty to both theft and trespass in Truro Crown Court.
On November 7th, he was sentenced to 100 hours of community service.
On 31st July, two rail enthusiasts were watching trains at the level crossing when they noticed a large vehicle parked nearby.
The pair witnessed Dickson, along with another man, cross the tracks and take meters of cable back to the vehicle.
Alarmed by these actions, they provided a description of the men and gave photographs of both the vehicle and the two suspects.
Dickson was arrested at his home in suspicion of cable theft, added later with trespass, on 3rd August after reports he was stripping cable in his garden.
What did the officials have to say?
BTP Constable Gary Archer said:
“Cable theft costs the railway thousands in loss, delays and damages and has the potential to endanger the lives of workers and passengers.
“We are committed to tackling all forms of theft and work closely with Network Rail and other industry partners to make the railway a difficult place for these criminals to operate.
“This result demonstrates that people will be punished for this type of crime – we hope this will give him the time to reflect on his actions and stop him from committing similar offences in the future.
“Thanks to the report from the members of public we were able to identify, arrest and charge the individual – if you see anything suspicious, please call us on 0800 40 50 40 or text us discreetly on 61016.”
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I agree, David…no fine, no jail sentence…what were the Magistrates thinking of?
100 hours of community service? Is that the best they can do? That is an encouragement to steal cable. I thought that trespassing on the railway in itself warrants a £1000 fine.