A 22-year-old man who caused over €60,000 worth of damage by graffitiing train carriages, and assaulted an Iarnród Éireann employee has been given a four year suspended sentence.
Sean Cullen, of Hope Avenue, East Wall, in Dublin, pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal damage and one of assault after he pepper sprayed a train driver who tried to stop him on 25 September 2021.
Judge Martin Nolan told him that to look at him you would think "butter wouldn't melt in his mouth" but that if he reoffends he will go to jail.
The incident began when the train driver noticed two men, who did not work at Fairview Dart Depot, acting suspiciously.
He approached them and grabbed Cullen who pepper sprayed him during the struggle.
The second man also intervened and they fled the scene.
Cullen was also linked to other graffiti incidents, including at the Docklands Train Station on 21 February 2020 where train carriages were sprayed with silver and black spray paint.
Damage was also caused to the carriage's interiors with 'SD' written using a marker.
Another incident also took place at Connolly Station on 22 November 2021.
On 6 June 2020, the exterior of an equipment signal container at Merrion Gates, Merrion Road, was also spray painted.
Cullen was identified from CCTV and during a search of his home in May 2022, spray cans and other items were found.
Cullen's fingerprints were also found.
He has one previous conviction for damaging property.
Judge Nolan said that Cullen "seems to have developed a need to spray paint and graffiti public buildings, particularly on the DART."
The judge said Cullen had caused a lot of harm but as an apprentice electrician, he has a future.
He said he probably will not re-offend and said he hopes Cullen contributes to society in future.
Judge Nolan also said he put Cullen in custody for two days to warn him that that is his future if he misbehaves.
"I hope he has learned some lesson from his time in jail," the judge said, "it would be particularly tough for him. He's young, remorseful and I think he can change, it seems to be unjust to imprison him."
"You might think you are an artist, but the company had to clean carriages," the judge added.
Afterwards Iarnód Éireann Security Consultant Aidan Reid said Cullen was the fifth person to be convicted of criminal damage.
A group of four others, a graffiti gang from Spain, also came over to spray paint trains and the total damage caused was over €300,000.
