A SIDCUP man who caused £250,000 worth of graffiti damage to trains across London and the South East has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Kristian Holmes, 32, of Ellison Road, was jailed at Blackfriars Crown Court yesterday (June 17) after he was found guilty of 39 criminal damage offences over seven years.

The court heard how Holmes, an accounts manager, vandalised trains, stations and bridges using his VAMP tag between 2003 and 2010.

On searching his home address, police officers discovered a London A to Z street guide detailing the places he had vandalised.

They also found spray can nozzles, gloves covered in paint and high-visibility jackets.

Holmes was arrested at his place of work in Bromley on April 14, 2010.

Following a five-week trial, during which he denied all offences, he received two-and-a-half years for criminal damage and a further 12 months for perverting the course of justice.

The charge of perverting the course of justice came after Holmes uploaded videos to YouTube to make investigators believe a mixed-race man was spraying the graffiti.

However, detectives found photographs on Holmes’ home computer showing him spray-painting the tag.

Detective Sergeant Jez Walley, who led the investigation for British Transport Police, said: "Holmes was a prolific vandal who offended over a number of years.

"He was determined to undermine the case by using social media to make detectives believe that he was not responsible for the graffiti. These videos were investigated as thoroughly as the original offence.

"Graffiti offences are constantly being reviewed and offenders will be sought even many months or years after the crime – I hope this acts as a deterrent for those thinking about doing the same as Holmes.

"The financial costs of cleaning up graffiti have to be borne by someone, and that someone is ultimately the fare-paying passenger.

"Trains are taken out of service for cleaning, sometimes for days at a time, causing disruption and delays for passengers.

"Graffiti also involves serious risks to those who go onto the tracks, who often don't know when a train will come or if the tracks are live."

Meanwhile, a Chislehurst man was given a 12-month suspended sentence, suspended for 12 months, also at Blackfriars, in a separate case.

Charlie Holland, 28, of Imperial Way, received the sentence for daubing graffiti on railway property and trains between December 2004 and 2009, causing a total of £93,343.87 of damage.

The court heard that Holland's DFIE tag had been prolific all over Kent and London, with his social network profile page showing a picture of him posing underneath a sign sprayed with the tag.

Holland pleaded guilty to 11 counts of criminal damage.

He was also ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work and put on curfew between 8pm and 6am.