Amorous graffiti vandal is jailed

Raymond Agbegah caused £8,500 worth of damage in one night

A "persistent" graffiti vandal who declared his love for his girlfriend on trains and stations across south London has been jailed for two years.

Raymond Agbegah, 24, from Rutford Road, Streatham, south London, sprayed "I Love Emma" leaving train companies with a cleaning bill in excess of £32,000.

Southwark Crown Court heard the IT student's prolific vandalism stint had spanned about a decade.

Agbegah's signature tag "Milk" and his girlfriend's name led to his capture.

He admitted three counts of criminal damage for his activities through out October last year.

Agbegah struck at rail stations and depots in Streatham and Norbury, North Dulwich, Strawberry Hill and Parsons Green.

Raymond Agbegah has 58 previous convictions

Southern Trains was worst-affected by his vandalism which resulted in a £23,650 worth of damage in just four weeks, inflicting £8,500 worth of damage in one night.

Network Rail and South West Trains were left with cleaning bills of more than £4,000 each.

The court heard Agbegah, who was a member of the FV Crew graffiti gang in Streatham, had 58 previous convictions - including many for graffiti attacks.

He had also repeatedly breached a 10-year anti-social behaviour order imposed in 2003.

Agbegah's pregnant girlfriend Emma Petts was present during the sentencing.

Sentencing him Judge Martin Beddoe said: "It [graffiti] is done for no better purpose than for your own satisfaction and self advertisement without regard to anyone else.

"You are frankly getting too old for this. And what you have done and continue to do does not warrant the love and the care Miss Petts has sought to bestow on you," he added.

Richard Gowthorpe, defending, said the vandal had "regressed" to spraying after the "tragic" death of his and Miss Petts's first child.