A GRAFFITI vandal disrupted rail services and caused thousands of pounds worth of damage by spray painting anti-Islamic State ‘tags’ on train carriages at Gourock station.

Mark Paterson bizarrely targeted ScotRail rolling stock for a series of late-night ‘political statements’ in response to the terrorist atrocities in Paris last November.

The 24-year-old dad-of-one was filmed on CCTV over a period of 35 minutes as he and co-accused Stephen Rice crept around the train tracks after two o’clock in the morning.

Greenock Sheriff Court heard how Paterson – who has been ordered to pay for the damage he caused – branded Isis as ‘gay’ and also daubed messages of support for Paris.

Prosecutor Pamela Brady said: “The station was secured and the trains had stopped running for the night.

“Fairly extensive graffiti was sprayed on the sides of the trains.

“All of it was indicative of the atrocities that had taken place in Paris. The tags included ‘Isis are gay’, ‘Spray for Paris’ and ‘Paris’.”

Paterson and 25-year-old Rice accessed the station via a wooded area off Gourock’s Shore Street on November 21 last year – eight days after Isis gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in the French capital, the court was told.

Police found the pair trespassing on Network Rail land ‘in dangerous proximity to the railway lines’.

Fiscal depute Mrs Brady said: “The total cost of the damage was some £2,100.

“The spray painted carriages had to be taken out of service, so there was disruption to the railway network as a result.” 

Paterson’s defence lawyer, Gerry Keenan, said: “Mr Paterson now acknowledges that he cannot justify his behaviour, either in the name of art or by way of making a political statement.

“This was a crass and bizarre way to make such a statement, and it will cause the court some concern.”

Mr Keenan added: “Otherwise, he leads a law abiding life, is in full-time employment and provides for his partner and their baby.

“The significance of this matter is not lost on him. It is unlikely to re-occur.”

The court heard that Paterson had also ‘maliciously’ spray painted carriages at Gourock station on three previous occasions last September and October but no detail of what he’d written then was narrated, although our picture shows the slogan ‘Bonkers’ on a carriage.

Rice’s not guilty plea to vandalism was accepted after he admitted to the trespass charge. 

His solicitor, Graeme Wright, said: “Mr Rice has no previous convictions and no outstanding court matters. He is currently studying to become involved in the making of television programmes, preferably as a director.”

Sheriff Derek Hamilton told Paterson: “The difficulty for you is that you are going to find yourself subject to a financial penalty, and that will inevitably impact on your partner and young child.

“I’m told that you are saving for a deposit on a house and your money would be better utilised in that regard. However, there was a significant cost to what you did and it is not for anyone else to pay it.”

Turning to Rice, the sheriff said: “You are somewhat fortunate that all that applies to you is the trespass charge, but we’re not daft — we know why you were there.”

Sheriff Hamilton ordered Paterson to complete 200 hours of unpaid work within a year and pay Abellio ScotRail £2,100 compensation within 10 months.

The lawman warned him: “If you mess around with the unpaid work order, notwithstanding the fact that you are a first offender, you will be facing a custodial sentence.

Rice was fined £300. Neither man’s address was given in court.

A British Transport Police spokesman said: “Vandalism to trains or the railway infrastructure causes disruption, it is costly to rectify and won’t be tolerated by British Transport Police.

“The sentencing of the accused underlines just how seriously the courts take the issue.

“This is not a victimless crime and the two guilty men put themselves and others in real danger by trespassing on the railway line at Gourock.”