York teenager fined for trashing historic train carriages

A York teenager who was among a gang of vandals who trashed historic rail carriages has been fined in court.

Benjamin Terry, 19, of Jute Road in York was among a group of eight teenagers who wrecked the carriages on a North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) train.

The group broke into carriages on one of the railways 1930s Gresly Teak Set trains stationed at Pickering station on July 23, causing more than £27,000 of damage.

Every light fitting was smashed, mirrors were broken, furniture ripped and wooden panels damaged.

Food and wine stolen from the train was also consumed by the group and thrown over the carriages.

Each carriage had taken a minimum of two years to restore by NYMR volunteers. And one carriage had taken more than 22 years.

Terry was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court.

He was also ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £135.88, including £30.88 in compensation.

Captured on CCTV

The damage was discovered by a member of rail staff who alerted the police.

An investigation was launched and CCTV footage from a level crossing nearby captured the group in the area at the time of the incident.

They were spoken to and subsequently charged with theft and criminal damage. They pleaded guilty.

The others involved were:

• Mollie Dawson, 18, of Keld Head Orchard, Kirbymoorside – sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay fines and costs of £635.88
• a 17-year-old boy from Pickering – ordered to pay compensation of £530.88 and will have to complete a 12-month youth offending panel contract
• a 17-year-old girl from Pickering, a 17-year-old boy from Malton and a 17-year-old boy from Ampleforth, who cannot be named for legal reasons – each ordered to pay compensation of £535.88 and will have to complete a twelve month youth offending panel contract
• two 17-year-old boys from Pickering – sentenced to a youth offending panel contract for six months and will have to pay fines and costs totalling £135.88 each

Atrocious behaviour

Sergeant Nigel Ashworth from British Transport Police said the damage was devastating to a charity like the NYMR run by volunteers.

“Seven carriages in total were damaged by the atrocious behaviour of this group,” he said.

“Every light fitting was smashed, furniture ripped and windows broken. The repair bill totalled over £27,000.

“In addition to the financial outlay, it must have also been heart breaking for all those who had invested a considerable amount of time and hard work to see it destroyed in this way by these mindless vandals.”