Teen graffiti artist wasting talent, says Magistrate

A TEENAGE graffiti crew member who has had hundreds of tags scrubbed from buildings throughout Geelong has fronted court.

The 17-year-old, who claims to be part of the TCK graffiti crew, pleaded guilty to one charge of criminal damage in a Children’s Court yesterday.

The City of Greater Gee- long provided documents to police that showed the teen’s tags were involved in 231 clean up jobs, with graffiti costing the city about $17,000.

The Magistrate lectured the teen on wasting his artistic talents on vandalism.

“I have to say I’m quite impressed with your artistic ability, I’m not impressed with how you’re using it,” he said.

“If you want to pursue your artistic flair then good luck to you, but you can’t be defacing public property.”

The police prosecutor said the teen was found with blue spray paint, markers and adhesive stickers in his backpack when he and a co-accused were stopped in Johns Pl by officers on foot patrol in August.

She said the teen and his dad went to the Geelong police station the next day where the boy admitted to being part of a graffiti gang called the TCK crew. The court heard the teen refused to name the other members of the group but said they all had their own personal tags.

The teen’s lawyer said her client‘s father had sat him down and told him his offending was “unacceptable, it’s not art and that he cannot be engaging in this behaviour under his roof”.

She said the teen had ended his relationship with the co- accused, and that he had secured full time employment and was taking proactive steps to prove himself to his family.

The magistrate said the teen’s employment and family support meant he was a “fine young man” with a good future.

He did not record a conviction and instead placed the teen on a good behaviour bond and ordered he pay $200 to the court fund.