Vandals who caused damage estimated at £72,000 to trains and stations by spraying them with graffiti were caught after boasting about their crimes on social media.
Adam Norman, 27, and Dovydas Butkus, 20, went out with spray cans in the early hours of Christmas Day and often uploaded pictures on Instagram.
The pair were tracked down in a police operation to tackle criminal damage and were linked to offences through their social media posts. They were filmed on CCTV damaging trains and infrastructure across Sussex.
At Lewes crown court Norman, of Worthing, and Butkus, of Durrington, West Sussex, admitted conspiracy to destroy or damage property in connection with 13 offences and were given 12-month prison sentences suspended for two years. Norman was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and Butkus 80 hours. They were each fined £1,200, told to pay a £100 victim surcharge and given six-month curfews between 8.30pm and 5am.
PC Paul Burtoft, of British Transport Police Brighton, said: “Graffiti can cause tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage, putting trains out of service and costing rail companies, and ultimately passengers, money.
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“There is also a real risk to life of those committing the offences. Freight trains run throughout the night and the danger of being hit by one is real.”