Facebook Helps Council Catch Woman for Graffiti Offence

A woman who posted pictures of herself on Facebook desecrating a wall with graffiti has been fined by council.

The 33-year-old, who cannot be named, was issued with a fixed penalty notice for £75 for the offence under Towy Bridge in Carmarthen.

The council’s environmental enforcement officers received a complaint from a member of the public and were informed there were pictures on Facebook.

The culprit was traced and interviewed by officers and as it was a minor offence and she admitted full liability, she was offered a fixed penalty notice instead of prosecution in court. She also agreed to wash the graffiti off the walls herself.

The council now hopes this fine will act as a warning to others that anyone caught defacing property in this way will be prosecuted.

Graffiti is an offence under the Criminal Damage Act 1971 and if the value of criminal damage exceeds £5,000 the maximum penalty for those aged 18 or over is 10 years in prison and for those aged 12-17 a detention and training order of up to 24 months. Where the damage is less than £5,000, the maximum sentence is three months imprisonment or a fine of £2,500 for adult offenders.

Director of Technical Services Richard Workman said: “The scale and the cost of damage caused by graffiti can vary greatly sometimes running into thousands of pounds.

“The council’s environmental enforcement officers have a range of powers available to them to tackle environmental crime such as graffiti. For more minor offences officers can issue fixed penalty notices, but more serious offences will be referred to the police and pursued through the magistrate’s court.

“Hopefully this latest fine will help to raise awareness of this type of crime and help deter any further offences. We are determined to make improve the quality of the environment in Carmarthenshire for both residents and visitors.”