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| Ex-railway worker guilty of arson | Ex-railway worker guilty of arson |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| A former rail worker has been found guilty of one count of arson following a spate of attacks which caused widespread delays on the railways. | |
| Allan Nicol, 48, from Birmingham, admitted cutting cables and setting fire to signalling equipment in 12 attacks over 17 months in the Midlands. | Allan Nicol, 48, from Birmingham, admitted cutting cables and setting fire to signalling equipment in 12 attacks over 17 months in the Midlands. |
| A jury found he could have put lives at risk when he set fire to a relay room in Staffordshire in 2005. | A jury found he could have put lives at risk when he set fire to a relay room in Staffordshire in 2005. |
| The jury at Birmingham Crown Court is still deliberating on a second charge. | The jury at Birmingham Crown Court is still deliberating on a second charge. |
| Nichol, who worked for Network Rail, denies the charge of reckless criminal damage. | Nichol, who worked for Network Rail, denies the charge of reckless criminal damage. |
| The prosecution claimed the fire in the relay room in Rugeley, which contained signalling equipment, could have caused an explosion. | The prosecution claimed the fire in the relay room in Rugeley, which contained signalling equipment, could have caused an explosion. |
| The court heard Nicol, from Yardley, was angry at the way the railways were run and at being made redundant. | The court heard Nicol, from Yardley, was angry at the way the railways were run and at being made redundant. |
| His vandalism cost the railway industry millions of pounds, with 6,933 train services cancelled or delayed. | |
| Some major routes, including the West Coast Main Line, were disrupted for several days. | |
| He was arrested after dropping a receipt for a snack at the scene of one fire in Rugeley, Staffordshire, which was started on 3 November 2005. | He was arrested after dropping a receipt for a snack at the scene of one fire in Rugeley, Staffordshire, which was started on 3 November 2005. |
| The vandalism attacks took place in Staffordshire, Warwickshire, the West Midlands and Worcestershire during 2004 and 2005, and had a knock-on effect over a massive area of the rail network. | The vandalism attacks took place in Staffordshire, Warwickshire, the West Midlands and Worcestershire during 2004 and 2005, and had a knock-on effect over a massive area of the rail network. |