A graffiti artist who caused £8,000 worth of damage to a train at Ilkley station has been spared jail by a Bradford judge.

Craig Longworth had denied being part of a five man gang which targeted Arriva Trains Northern carriages but was found guilty of a charge of criminal damage at a trial last month.

Recorder Bernard Gateshill said he had been thinking of locking him up but after reading a pre-sentence report and a reference from his employers at the Halifax Bank he decided to give him a community penalty.

Recorder Gateshill said: "In these circumstance it seems crystal clear that you are convicted of spray painting this train with the consequence of huge damage and inconvenience. It clearly crosses the custody threshold and I did have it in mind that a sentence of nine months was appropriate.

"But bearing in mind what I have heard about you today I can just hold back from sending you to custody."

The trial at Bradford Crown Court had been told that all three carriages of the new 333 train had been daubed with spray paint in the attack last February. It had cost £7,840 to clean and left the train out of service for four days which had cost Arriva £5,500 in leasing payments.

Longworth, 21, a father-of-one, of Godley Road, Halifax, was caught after a someone raised the alarm.

Despite being detained in a supermarket with paint marks on his jacket, Longworth maintained that he had not been involved.

His barrister, Andrew Stranex, yesterday told Bradford Crown Court that his client was considered to be a "prospect for the future" by his employers.

Longworth was told that a £1,500 bonus he is to receive from work will pay for the prosecution costs. Recorder Gateshill also ordered him to pay £3,600 ito Arriva Trains and ordered to serve a 200 hours community punishment order. After the hearing, Northern, the train operator which has taken over Arriva Trains Northern, said: "We do not tolerate acts of trespass or vandalism and we're pleased the courts have taken this matter so seriously."