A 42-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a spate of criminal damage in which vehicles, road signs and bus shelters have been spray painted with graffiti tags.
At around 21:45 last night (Sunday), Police received reports that a man was spraying graffiti on vehicles in the Ryde area.
Officers attended and soon located a suspect on The Strand, near to Simeon Street Recreation Ground.
As well as suspected of being the graffiti ‘artist’, the 42-year-old man was found to be in possession of suspected stolen antiques, believed to have been taken following a break in at the Royal Victoria Arcade on Union Street.
The man was arrested on suspicion of burglary, possession of a knife in a public place and resisting arrest.
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary says that the middle-aged man was also arrested on suspicion of criminal damage – relating to the graffiti in Ryde and a recent series of incidents across the Island involving roadside furniture being spray painted.
As previously reported by Island Echo, a clean-up operation got underway earlier this month after a number of tags – depicting a 5-pointed star with the number 4 written inside it alongside ’22 crew’- appeared on dozens of pieces of street furniture on Wootton High Street, Racecourse and Fairlee Road.
This week the same tags have been seen on street furniture and vehicles in Ryde, around the St John’s and Monkton areas.
Police say the 42-year-old remains in custody at this time.
He’s 42 and spraying 22 Crew.?
Didn’t he know how to write the number 4.?
Eejit.
Why would he write 42 crew when it’s 22 crew…..
Eejit!!!
Grow up you pathetic loser. He should be named and shamed plus made to go round and clean off every tag that he’s done, so that the public can laugh at him and hopefully throw rotten tomatoes at him just like the good times would have done. What a prized loser.
That is proper justice, clean up your own mess, followwd by a banning order from the town preferably the island enforceable with 2 years inside for a breech
Well, he’s not exactly Banksy
Should have to pay for all damage done but probably on benifits. About time he grew up
I assume the 22 is for the IQ?
It was a failed false flag operation. He wanted youngsters to be blamed. 22 crew as in you left school in 2022.
Turns out it’s a weird old man is the one to blame.
42 years old, isn’t it about time he grew up?Let me guess, the defence when he appears in court will be mental health/ alcohol/ drugs issues.
Pathetic isn’t it. The new ‘get out’ excuse. Wise up judges, their takin the p*SS!!!!!
So now he has been caught he should be made to clean it all up but let me guess that goes against human rights so we will just fine him £50 and tax payers can pay for the clean up
Just imagine being 42 and still believing you’re cool for spraying gang tags everywhere.
At what age do some people grow up?
Make him clean it up using only his tongue
Not exactly Banksy is he…
No he doesn’t use stencils like the vandal Banksy.
More like a W*nksy
I suppose this moron has “mental health issues”. Take him to the local vet, they have the means to carry out what is necessary.
What a pathetic waste of space! Sad & lonely
42 years old? Blimey, I would have thought he would have grown out of crayoning on walls….
Naming and shaming him for this ‘art’ is surely punishment enough. How embarrassing..
Loads of this in the railway tunnel underneath fairlee road and down by the quay as well
This problem could be solved with two breeze blocks.
What the fig……?
Classic IoW moron.
More like a 10 than 42.
By what stretch of the imagination is 42 “middle-aged”?
I feel this comment in my bones (as I approach 40)
however, as much as I agree with you and also feel that 42 isn’t what most conjure up in our minds when we hear the phrase ‘middle aged’, it’s technically correct.
UK mortality age is 82 … making 41 exactly middle aged! :(((
Average life expectancy is chasing eighty for males, VL, so I would think most numerate and fairly well- informed folk would say that describing someone of 42 as ‘ middle aged’ is, er, about right.
Police had to be called to crime capital of the Island ?,shows none on patrol?. Bet took while to explain to control room before they then deployed front line officers do a great job as do control room, except control room needs many more staff and to be able to take calls etc.
What an idiot. He’s just a public menace. I wonder what else he’s been getting away with?
Agreed get the Council send him back to whatever Council sent him to us as a
. REJECT
Probably a born and bred Caulkhead
I hope all the people commenting last time about the ‘yoof’ of today will apologise!!
Credit where it’s due to the police who were quick to respond to the call
What the hell is wrong with this bloke. 42 years of age and behaving like a kid. He seriously needs to grow up. Spraying that junk everywhere, making the place look trashy. Perhaps he’s an overner and can’t understand why the island doesn’t have graffiti!
Get rid of him, we don’t want idiots like him living here.
Utter scum.
make him clean off everything he has defaced.