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Fuck. Another month goes by, another of London’s steadfast graffiti writers goes inside. Today, the British Transport Police announced the embittering news that they had successfully spearheaded the conviction of esteemed hardcore graff writer Hoover, of the crew KC.

Hoover was convicted for committing £54,000 worth of damage, and was sentenced to a heinous 16 month sentence in prison for his crime. The convictions stemmed from graffiti on both steel and concrete in Croydon, Charing Cross, Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark, Surrey and Wandsworth.

Hoover (whose real name will not be revealed on this website) is in his early twenties, is from Norbury, and was sentenced on Friday after pleading guilty to thirteen charges of criminal damage.

The British Transport Police got a grab on Hoover after the Met nicked him in July 2011 at 4am in Selhurst, Croyden. He had been painting a Lloyd George Pharmacy’s shutters when he was spotted by police. He and another writer made a run for it, dropping a bag containing four tins of paint.

Disastrously for Hoover, he was found in a nearby park soon after, with paint on his hands, as well as a digital camera with no memory card. The police found the memory card in his sock once they had him in custody, a card which contained photos of 45 panels as well as videos of people painting.

Forensics matched paint residue on Hoover’s hands to paint used to paint a panel at Selhurst depot that night, where three carriages had been marked by Hoover.

The police scoured Hoover’s home in Norbury, finding paint, gloves, respirators, sketches, high-vis vests and a tonne more graff related images on his computer. ”Expert graffiti squad detectives” provided handwriting analysis, which alongside the many images incriminating Hoover led to his guilty plead to 13 offences between 2007 and 2011 in London, with another offence in Surrey.

The London Vandal have been saying for a long time that throwing twenty-odd year old men in prison for graffiti is a pointless exercise, and does an unjust amount of harm to individuals involved in what is really quite petty and victimeless as far as crime goes. Once again, a man at the prime of his life had his world turned upside down by a criminal justice system that puts rail companies profits before social justice.

If anyone knows Hoover’s address while he is inside, please email it to info@thelondonvandal.com so we can post him something to keep his head up.

FREE HOOVER

ASMATIK wrote:Free Hoover.