A young graffiti artist who caused more than £4000 worth of damage to road signs in Perthshire has been told he is one misstep away from a custodial sentence.
Daniel Carlin left his signature “tags” on on a variety of signs on the north and southbound carriageways of the A9 near Gleneagles in May last year.
He travelled from his home in Glasgow to meet friends at the nearby Gleneagles Railway Station but decided to pass the time with a little vandalism after they failed to arrive.
The 19-year-old has appeared at Perth Sheriff Court on a number of occasions since pleading guilty to the offence, but has yet to begin compensating Bear Scotland for the damage.
He returned to the dock on Thursday where solicitor Rosie Scott pleaded with the court to allow her client one final chance to set up a standing order with his bank.
Mrs Scott said her client an accomplished graffiti artist since his school days who now earns money for his work through commissions from clients including galleries understood that he risked custody if he did not begin to make recompense.
Local police officers had been on mobile patrol at around midnight on the day in question when they spotted that signs on both sides of the A9 had been vandalised.
They had been spray painted with the words “Byro” and “Blah”, which officers later learned were two of Carlin’s tags.
Far from having to search for the culprit, however, Carlin walked into Auchterarder Police Station shortly after midnight.
He asked officers for help to locate the friends he was supposed to have met at Gleneagles earlier in the evening, but officers soon had cause to search him and his property.
They discovered several spray cans in his bag and he readily admitted having been responsible for defacing the signs.
Carlin’s actions resulted in the signs having to be replaced by Bear Scotland at a cost of £4206.85.
The accused, of Kempsthorn Crescent, Glasgow, admitted wilfully and recklessly spray painting road signs on the northbound and southbound carriageway of the A9 Dunblane to Perth road at Gleneagles on May 14 or 15.
Sheriff Robert McCreadie condemned Carlin’s behaviour as “incredibly stupid.”
He told Carlin he would pay back every penny and warned him that he should set up a standing order as soon as possible.
“The damage that you did cost the public purse over £4000,” he said.
“This is clearly a case that puts you at the custodial threshold and I will not hesitate to impose such a sentence.”
Sentence was deferred once more, until October 26, for Carlin to be of good behaviour and to bring proof that a standing order has been set up.