Horror at rush hour
Three suspected graffiti artists die after being ‘hit by commuter train’
‘Caught by surprise’
THREE suspected graffiti artists were killed when a train struck them at a notorious vandalism hotspot.
It is thought the men, all aged in their early 20s, may have been hit by a relatively quiet but fastmoving commuter train.
The tragedy took place on an elevated stretch of track with no ‘refuge’ to escape the busy electrified line in Loughborough Junction, South London.
The capital is experiencing a resurgence in eye- catching street murals fuelled by Instagram and other social media. Fellow artists say those involved will often take great risks for an ‘adrenaline buzz’ and to find difficult-to-reach locations that cannot be painted over.
Police were alerted to the bodies by a train driver shortly after 7.30am yesterday. They launched a recovery operation on the section of the overground line which runs broadly west to east between Denmark Hill and Clapham High Street.
Investigators believe the tragedy took place in the early hours and are working to identify which train struck the men.
Several spray cans, including a specialist brand used for graffiti, latex gloves and fluorescent vests were recovered.
Police forensic experts were seen taking photographs of fresh graffiti tags on a low wall dividing the railway line.
British Transport Police Superintendent Matt Allingham confirmed that ‘one line of inquiry’ was that the victims were graffiti artists.
He said: ‘The bodies were discovered by a train driver. We know that they were dead for a while before we turned up. It is a possibility that it was during the hours of darkness – that’s why it wasn’t reported early on.’
Supt Allingham added: ‘There isn’t a sort of safe refuge up there, so if somebody was on those tracks there wouldn’t be anywhere for them to go to avoid the train.
‘As far as I understand it, if they’ve been caught in that section of track when a train came through, they really wouldn’t have had much options.’
Scrapyard worker Mark Bowers said: ‘A police officer told me they think the men were doing graffiti when they were on the tracks. You see a lot of it around here, but I’ve never seen anyone actively spraying. It all happens during the night.’
Loughborough Junction is a stone’s throw from Brixton, arguably the most popular destination for graffiti artists from across the capital.
Veteran artist Justin Rollins, 34, said the trio may have been ‘caught by surprise’ by a modern commuter train.
‘I don’t see any other reason why there are three guys walking down that stretch of track. The Thameslink trains are really quiet. You don’t always hear them coming. It might catch you by surprise.’
He added: ‘There are different sorts of graffiti, but if you’re in London, you don’t care. It’s a buzz, it’s an adrenaline thing.’
There were 399 graffiti attacks in London in the first quarter of this year, the highest number for eight years, according to official police figures. Southeastern, one of the hardest-hit train companies, said muraltype graffiti had ‘more than doubled’ in recent months.
An employee at spray paint stockist VapesLondon in Brixton said ‘it’s possible’ that the men bought their supplies there as ‘it’s the only graffiti shop in south London’. He added: ‘The graffiti scene is a very close network. I had boys come in earlier saying, “did you hear what happened?” It’s a tragic situation.’
Loughborough Junction resident Maureen Scott, 77, said: ‘This place is a bit of a hotspot for dare graffiti. They do it in all these tricky-to-reach places. They spray all along the railway tracks in this area.’