Someone to look out for at London Termini

[yorkie]

http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/news/king_s_cross_station_thief_sentenced_1_976756

A prolific thief who stole more than £2,000 of belongings from passengers at train stations including King’s Cross has been handed a five-year antisocial behaviour order (ASBO).

Antony Hinton’s sentencing at Blackfriars Crown Court followed a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation into a total of 14 thefts, five of which took place at King’s Cross and the remainder at Paddington.


BTP’s Det Con David Graney, investigating officer, said that on each occasion Hinton would target passengers seated on board trains waiting to leave the station: “Hinton’s victims of choice were often men who had left their jackets either on the seat hooks or in the overhead racks.


“Typically, Hinton would board the stationary train before discreetly removing his victim’s wallets and then calmly walking off back onto the station concourse.”


Along the way Hinton stole several wallets, containing cash and bank cards, as well as a woman’s handbag worth £800. The stolen items had a collective value of around £2,000 and six of the thefts took place within a single month.


Detectives reviewed CCTV after every theft and were able to place Hinton at the scene of each crime – and BTP officers spotted him while carrying out patrols at Paddington station and arrested him. He had stolen someone’s card holder only three hours earlier.


He gave no comment when questioned but later pleaded guilty to 14 thefts at a court hearing in April.


Det Con Graney said: “Hinton is a prolific and persistent thief, known to police over a number of years, causing misery and inconvenience to many people in order to feed his drug addiction.


“We welcome the court’s sentence and I hope it serves as a clear warning to others that BTP will arrest and prosecute those who think they can help themselves to other people’s property.”



BTP’s Detective Constable David Graney, investigating officer, said that on each occasion Hinton would target passengers seated on board trains waiting to leave the station:


Hinton’s ASBO prohibits him from entering or alighting from any underground service at Paddington and King’s Cross stations other than to attend a pre-arranged court appointment or review.



He also received a two-year community order and a 12-month residential drug rehabilitation programme.

He's still out and about, it appears the useless ASBO only prevents him travelling on LU at either Paddington or King's Cross, so he can still walk to either station and can still go to other stations.

 

[jon0844]

haha! that's so funny.

Most pathetic sentence. Ever.

Totally pointless, so I wonder why BTP even bothered. For someone to say they welcome the sentence is even more odd. Perhaps the detective didn't want to be held in contempt of court?

Nonsense like this is why the police just can't be bothered to get involved with so many things these days - there's really no point. Just go after the easy crimes that can be dealt with on the spot and 'earn the points'. (Not that I know if BTP operate systems like this, but other forces do).

 

[exile]

Looks a bit Neanderthal to me. Mind you I look like a vicar who's been unfrocked for something unspeakable!

 

[SS4]

I suspect BTP are frothing at the mouth at the sentence given. BTP don't have much choice in the matter - the officers on the ground will become disillusioned whereas anyone important enough to speak the press either believes it or toes the party line. I would also imagine they have to be seen to support the government of the day in their professional capacity regardless of their personal opinion.

I'll have to keep an eye on him in and around Euston (the only terminal I really use) although it's for this reason I tend to keep valuables on my person. Cheers for the warning

 

[MidnightFlyer]

If he's only banned from KGX and PAD, what's there to stop him doing this at EUS, STP or LST? I'd put the Judge on trial for passing that sentence!

 

[jon0844]

Perhaps the judge doesn't use trains. Perhaps one day Mr Hinton will break into his home and then we'll see a custodial sentence for sure.

 

[SteveP29]

All the more reason for the ticket barriers, that may deter him, but I suspect it will just move the problem onto the concourse for other opportunists

 

[Greenback]

All the more reason for the ticket barriers, that may deter him, but I suspect it will just move the problem onto the concourse for other opportunists

Not really. Ge would merely have to buy the cheapest ticket for travel, or ask to be let through to help someone with their bags off an incoming train. There are some good reasons for ticket barriers, but deterring persistent thieves isn't one of them.

 

[43021HST]

Arr they've found me!!!! Only joking, ugly git isnt he.

 

[DarloRich]

haha! that's so funny.

Most pathetic sentence. Ever.

Totally pointless, so I wonder why BTP even bothered. For someone to say they welcome the sentence is even more odd. Perhaps the detective didn't want to be held in contempt of court?

Nonsense like this is why the police just can't be bothered to get involved with so many things these days - there's really no point. Just go after the easy crimes that can be dealt with on the spot and 'earn the points'. (Not that I know if BTP operate systems like this, but other forces do).

Or perhaps there is no where to put him! The prisons are full to bursting. It could be a first offence, perhaps his brief put up good mitigation, perhaps he shopped some other sc*mbags. I notice a drug rehab order has been added, perhaps that was a trade off. You don’t know what the sentencing guidelines are. Perhaps the CPS decided this was the best sentence they could get.

The judge might want to send him down for 5 years but cant unless there is a reason to do so. He also pleaded guilty which means you get a reduction in tariff for saving court time and expense.

You never know why the sentence is passed. It is very easy to criticise when you don’t know enough about the person/offence/sentence or procedure.

I am not saying I don’t agree with you mind!

 

[yorkie]

If only he'd put some foam on one of the jackets, or if the jacket had belonged to someone rich and powerful, he may then have been jailed. (OK, I am exaggerating a bit, but come on, our legal system is ridiculous! Murdoch didn't get hurt, and the foam-thrower was assaulted by Mrs Murdoch!)
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Or perhaps there is no where to put him! The prisons are full to bursting.

But not so full that they don't have room for a foam-thrower who did not actually assault anyone, but was himself assaulted. Hmm!
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All the more reason for the ticket barriers, that may deter him, but I suspect it will just move the problem onto the concourse for other opportunists

Probably begged for a Travelcard, or got a ticket to Acton Main Line, or just blagged it. The idea that barriers prevent people from stuff like this is completely misguided and just DfT propaganda. Don't believe the hype!

 

[MidnightFlyer]

In other legal news, the mother of the David Gilmour's son is complaining about how harsh his penalty for swinging from the memorial was, apparently he is locked up for 23 hours a day :roll:. I'd have him locked up every hour of the day for 23 years!

I've got to fully agree with you yorkie, if anything he should have been the victim of assault, not the stand for assault.

 

[Hydro]

A stern ticking off and a ban on alighting at stations concerned for 14 documented thefts to some monetary value to fund a drug habit, versus 6 weeks inside for a pie thrower. What the hell is going on?

 

[DarloRich]

If only he'd put some foam on one of the jackets, or if the jacket had belonged to someone rich and powerful, he may then have been jailed. (OK, I am exaggerating a bit, but come on, our legal system is ridiculous! Murdoch didn't get hurt, and the foam-thrower was assaulted by Mrs Murdoch!)
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But not so full that they don't have room for a foam-thrower who did not actually assault anyone, but was himself assaulted. Hmm!
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was that not a suspended sentence?

 

[yorkie]

was that not a suspended sentence?

It seems not.

...He was told he would serve three weeks in prison, and must pay a £15 victim surcharge and £250 costs....

That's not much less than if you crash a car into a shop while under the influence of cannabis.

Raymond Woods had to carry out many offences to get 12 weeks, and only after an ASBO was breached.

Cruelty to animals is also only 12 weeks, and after previous breaches and bans!

Knocking down a 14 year old girl, throwing her into the air, and fleeting the scene is only 6 weeks AND he'll be back driving in 12 months! Utterly bonkers!

In fact, our legal system is so warped, that hanging a dog isn't much more serious than getting foam on Murdoch's jacket. That got only 10 weeks.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

There are some well informed opinions on this thread and I will agree that the apparent inconsistencies in detection, prosecution and sentencing appear to be just that - inconsistent. However, the wider picture of Policing determined crime and addictive drug use is a much more complex problem, which suffers very quickly from the 'displacement' effect of increased or more agressive Policing. The most effective Policing is when it is appropriately matched to the actions of the CPS, Courts and Prison Service.
There are several drug dealers highly visible and accesible in the Kings Cross area and it is less destructive for our community at large to leave some dense communities of crime where they are. (I could elaborate on this to a much greater extent that I can or will on here).

A stern ticking off and a ban on alighting at stations concerned for 14 documented thefts to some monetary value to fund a drug habit . . . . .

I find that as abhorrent as you do, Hydro. However I know that the Police at Chief Constable level will agree with us too. Their challenge, though, (and not the challenge facing CPS, Courts, Prison Service or Lawmakers) is how to manage the known number of criminals who WILL be out and about every day. They try to keep them confined within known areas and where they can freely return to known homes. Our issue arises from the fact that Kings Cross happens to be one of those areas - the addicts are there and the suppliers are there.
That policy keeps both groups away from millions of other innocent citizens every day and keeps the Police picture of crime easy to monitor and effective in managing crime.

Where I think 'we' as a railway community could work harder is to integrate the labour-intensive BTP and CSO work in the terminal stations into the work elsewhere in the Borough. The consequence of the failure to integrate is the inevitable story that we have here - a helpless addict finds a 'safe' environment for fuelling his needs in a major station. Passengers suffer teh consequences.

 

[DarloRich]

Yorkie - you were right 6 weeks in gaol! madness ( but he is going to appeal!) I wasnt paying attention when the news report came on

(you cant draw comparisons like that btw! ) (( the driving ones are madness but the law needs changing. It isn't the fault of the judges, well not always))

 

[Peter Mugridge]

If I followed the BBC news tonight properly ( the subtitles were having a bit of an off day... ) I understand that the pie thrower was not prosecuted for aiming the pie at Murdoch but instead for disrupting parliamentary proceedings.

Having said that, I would certainly agree that a stiffer sentence should have been handed down on the persisten thief. If it had to be a suspended sentence then I'd venture to suggest that the suspension should involve six feet of hempen rope...