Ulez: Man sentenced for spraying paint on camera in Bromley
- Published
Stephen Nunn was caught spraying white paint on a camera in Hayes Lane, Bromley
A man has been sentenced for spraying paint on to an ultra low emission zone (Ulez) camera in south-east London.
Stephen Nunn pleaded guilty to criminal damage at Bromley Magistrates' Court, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
The 60-year-old was given a 12-month community order involving 100 hours' unpaid work.
He was also ordered to pay £349.78 in compensation to Transport for London, which operates Ulez.
Nunn was caught by police officers on 27 October spraying white paint on the camera in Hayes Lane, Bromley.
He used a "makeshift tool" involving a long pole and trigger mechanism featuring string, the CPS said.
Officers found anti-Ulez posters and stickers after a search of his home.
Prosecutor Alza Rashed said: "Stephen Nunn may well have thought, by dressing all in black and damaging the Ulez camera late at night, that he might have got away with it, but he was caught in the act by police officers and arrested.
"Causing damage to Ulez cameras will result in prosecution whenever our legal test is met."
Ulez was expanded across London on 29 August, which sparked a surge in vandalism of the scheme's cameras, which use automatic number plate recognition technology to identify vehicles.
Almost 1,000 crimes linked to the cameras being stolen or vandalised were recorded by police in seven months.
Drivers in the Ulez area are charged a £12.50 daily fee if their vehicle does not meet minimum emissions standards.
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