A man was sentenced to 12 months in prison for stealing cables, causing significant damage to the railway line in Llandarcy, Wales
Llandarcy: So, there was this guy, Zack Kingsley, who decided to strip cables from the railway. He got caught after crashing his van while trying to escape. Can you believe it? The cables he took were worth about £13,500, but fixing everything he damaged cost over £72,000!
A judge at Swansea Crown Court was pretty stern about it. He said cable theft is becoming a real problem and warned that anyone caught doing it should expect to go straight to jail. Kingsley, who’s 26, ended up with a 12-month prison sentence.
On the night of December 6, 2022, the British Transport Police got a tip about a possible cable theft. They stopped all trains and started searching the area with a police dog. Then, they spotted a van coming down the tracks. When Kingsley saw the officers, he panicked and tried to reverse but crashed into some bushes instead. He and another guy jumped out and ran.
The police dog caught Kingsley, but the other guy got away. When they searched the van, they found a bunch of stolen cabling and tools. Kingsley’s dad even confirmed that he didn’t have permission to use the van. Talk about a family affair!
Kingsley had a pretty long rap sheet with 23 previous convictions for 44 different offenses, including some serious stuff. He was already on license for a wounding charge when he pulled this stunt. His lawyer mentioned he was on cocaine at the time but claimed he’s trying to turn his life around now.
The judge said Kingsley was clearly out to steal that night and was caught red-handed. He called him a “career criminal” but noted that a delay in the case meant his sentence was a bit lighter. In the end, he got 12 months for the theft and four months for taking the van, but they’ll run at the same time. He’ll serve half in jail and the rest on license in the community.
