A THIEF who was caught on camera stealing railway cable has been jailed for nine months.
Kevin Needham, 48, was spotted stealing more than 20 metres of cable from the Hambleton Junction area of the East Coast Mainline in Selby in September and October last year.
British Transport Police (BTP) searched Needham's vehicle after one of the incidents and found gloves, hacksaw blades, and an electric current tester, and he was charged. His actions caused tens of thousands of pounds costs to the rail industry in delays which affected lines between London and the north.
Detective Inspector Mick Dawes, of BTP, said: "Strong evidence, which included the images captured on the covert camera, items recovered in his car and at the scene, and tactics deployed by officers in connection with Network Rail staff, clearly linked Needham to the offences and left him with no option but to plead guilty.
"Cable doesn’t really have any real value to thieves or anyone outside the railway industry, as scrap metal dealers are highly unlikely to accept any cable or pay minimal costs in return. Yet the cost to the industry to replace the stolen and damaged cable is extremely high. Stealing railway cable is also incredibly dangerous and anyone seeking to do so risks serious injury – or even death – through electrocution."
Needham, of Great North Road. Doncaster, was sentenced at York Crown Court, today, after pleading guilty to two counts of the theft of cable from the railway, and two counts of attempted theft.
