A VALLEYS man who stole 300 metres of cable from the railway has been locked up for 18 months.

Paul Henry Jones, 52, of Beech Avenue, Pontllanfraith, was jailed after admitting the theft.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that on March 3, British Transport Police got a call that cable had been stolen from Gibbons Crossing, between Hengoed and Pengam. Following a search, six bundles of cable were found in heavy undergrowth.

The cable had been sprayed with a forensic grease which stays on skin and can be identified for days afterward.

At 12.15am the following day, Jones was arrested after a police dog flushed him out of a nearby wood. An ultraviolet examination revealed traces of the grease on Jones’ hands and clothing.

Jones admitted handling the cable, saying he came across it after walking along the railway line froma friend’s house in Hengoed, but denied any involvement in the theft.

The theft delayed 52 trains on the Cardiff to Rhymney line, totalling 386 minutes. It cost Network Rail £4,509 in repairs and compensation.

Detective Sergeant Guy Ellis said: “The forensic evidence linking Jones to this crime was indisputable.”

DS Ellis said he hoped the 18-month sentence served “as a stark warning to others seeking to profit from stealing from the railway.”