1 Comment Written by Jpeg on June 18, 2009 – 2:02 pm

A London Judge has jailed 6 Australian men on charges of criminal damage and vandalism last night. According to London transit authorities the men are linked to graffiti crew AMF aka Australian MisFits or Australian Mother Fuckers. The artwork created between summer and boxing day last year is apparently estimated to have cost UK taxpayers 70,000 pounds, a figure that in my own experience is grossly over estimated due to inflated cleaning and maintenance costs.

The men mainly from Sydney, Australia all aged in their mid twenties received sentences ranging from 8 to 16 months behind bars. A large majority of the talented artists work either part or full time as graphic designers within the UK. They will not face deportation but will be forced to serve at least half of their sentences before bail. Judge Gledhill told the men ‘each of you are talented artists, in terms of graffiti artists, so to have to see the six of you sitting in the dock of this court about to be sentenced is quite appalling.’

This case is yet another in the long line of inefficient and ineffective laws and sentences handed out to graffiti artists worldwide. When will the world realize that putting these artists behind bars is only adding to the growing problem of vandalism and injustice? How about spending some more time and money on real problems instead of wasting time and effort putting innocent artists behind bars.