A prolific cable thief who committed a string of cable thefts in the Leeds area, causing £1.6m in damages has been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.

Stephen White (37), of Bodmin Crescent, Middleton, Leeds was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Thursday 12 August after pleading guilty to eight counts of theft.

The court heard that White targeted the rail line in the Middleton area on a series of occasions dating back to 2007.

Network Rail CCTV tracked White as he carried out the thefts, and as a result, information was passed onto BTP detectives, who arrested White at his home address on Friday, 5 March.

A detailed forensic analysis of one of the locations by officers recovered White’s DNA, placing him at the crime scene and linking him to the offence.

A subsequent search of White’s house recovered a piece of Network Rail property, as well as scrap yard receipts for weighed-in copper and cable, which he had sold under a false name in a bid to conceal his identity. White later admitted to paying someone else to weigh in the copper on his behalf on a number of occasions.

BTP Detective Inspector Brian Buddo said: “White was a prolific thief who wrought havoc on the railway in order to fund a drug habit.

“He was reckless and single-mindedly driven by his desire for money, giving no thought to the risks he was taking, or the repercussions of his actions.

“The offences took place on one of the main railway lines in and out of Leeds, which carries hundreds of thousands of passengers each year, meaning that every time White committed an offence he was affecting a crucial public service.

"Stealing railway cable is incredibly dangerous. Not only does it present severe dangers to those who trespass on the line, who are putting their lives at risk, it also causes real headaches for passengers in terms of delays or disruptions to services.

“BTP will continue to seek methods of detecting and preventing cable theft and will endeavour to secure prosecutions on every occasion.”

“I hope that other cable thieves will take note of the length of sentence that has been imposed by the court in this case and realise that cable-related crime can have harsh judicial penalties,” he added.

Richard Lungmuss, route director for Network Rail, said: “This individual has caused significant disruption to the rail network across Yorkshire over many months. Thousands of passengers were inconvenienced by his actions and the rail industry is millions of pounds out of pocket. That is money which should be invested in making the railway better for passengers.

“I am delighted that the judge in his sentencing has recognised the seriousness of this crime. We will continue to work with BTP to prevent thefts where possible and, as in this case, use all the technology and resources available to us to detect criminals who are intent on attacking the railway for their own financial gain and bring them to justice.”