Inbox

Inside man at Network Rail jailed for £500,000 cable theft spree

A former Network Rail engineer was the inside man for a gang that stole cable worth £500,000 from all over England’s rail network.

Anthony Innins, 42 of Plumtree Avenue in Wear View, Sunderland and his conspirators were jailed last week for conspiracy to steal.

The investigation by British Transport Police (BTP) has led to a combined 17 years in prison for the gang, who stole the copper cabling and left the rail industry with a £2m repair bill.

The six men were sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court at the end of last week, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to steal at a previous hearing.

The court heard the thefts were orchestrated by Innins, who worked as an engineer for Network Rail. He abused his position to provide his associates with inside information, which they used to steal cable between 2011 and 2013.

He conspired with Robert Baker, 29, of Cheltenham Road, Sunderland; James Curry, 29, of Calshot Road, Sunderland; Boden Hughes, 26, of Nye Dene, Sunderland; George Pascoe, 39, of Rowlandson Terrace, Sunderland; and Darren Jones, 44, of no fixed address.

The six men hired vans to transport the copper cable that they stole from locations including Hampshire, Lincolnshire, Manchester, West Yorkshire, Cornwall, Durham and Newcastle.

Working with Network Rail, BTP officers were able to link Innins to the crimes and, through monitoring his movements, find out where the gang would strike next.

Innins and his five accomplices were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to steal in March 2013. All six were charged and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal when they appeared in court.

Speaking after the gang were sentenced, Sergeant Nigel Ashworth said: “This was a complex investigation, and I am grateful to all those officers and our colleagues at Network Rail, who worked tirelessly to bring these six men to justice.

“Their actions not only caused significant disruption to the rail network, they put the lives of those who use the rail network in danger.

“Cable theft is not a victimless crime. It causes millions of pounds worth of damage, disrupts vital rail networks and endangers the lives of passengers and staff.

“I hope those sentenced today will use their time in prison to reflect on what they have done.”

Vicki Beadle, community safety manager for Network Rail in the north east said: “We are pleased the judge has recognised the severity of this case and has handed-down substantial sentences. Cable theft causes delays to passengers and train services, and costs the tax payer time and money.

“Nationally, delays caused by cable theft have reduced significantly from its peak several years ago with the improvement down to a number of factors, including Network Rail and other infrastructure companies successfully lobbying for a change in legislation regarding buying and selling scrap metal, and British Transport Police targeting thieves and unscrupulous scrap dealers buying stolen metal.

“Network Rail engineers are working with suppliers and other industries to make metal – particularly cables – harder to steal and easier to identify and are introducing new ways of working to reduce delay and fix thefts more quickly.”

In our latest issue David Stevenson writes about how Network Rail and the police are winning the war against cable theft.

All the men charged admitted conspiracy to steal and received the following sentences:

• Anthony Innins was jailed for four years and two months.

• James Curry was jailed for three years and three months.

• George Pascoe was jailed for two years and three months.

• Darren Jones was jailed for two years and three months.

• Robert Baker was jailed for three years and five months for conspiracy to steal and an unrelated shed burglary.

• Boden Hughes was jailed for two years for conspiracy to steal. He also received nine years in jail for arson to a ferry.

Tell us what you think – have your say below or email [email protected]

Comments may be moderated or deleted for legal reasons.