Jail for graffitists who sabotaged a railway track to stop a train

THREE graffiti artists who forced a train stop by placing obstacles on the track, before vandalising the carriages with spray paint, have been sentenced to two years in prison.

The trio must also pay the Valencian public railway company, FGV, compensation of €866 for defacing the train, including the driver’s cabin.

The events actually took place in September 2011, when the three defendants, accompanied by a juvenile, placed ‘pallets and metal objects’ at a curve at kilometre 43 of the network linking Alicante with the coast north of the province.

The driver had to stop the convoy, which was traveling without passengers having finished the service, to avoid a crash.

The defendants took advantage of that emergency stop to perform graffiti with their respective signatures.

They were originally sentenced in 2015, and after an appeal, the penalty was upheld this week.