Matthew Francis West might be his given name but the ex-Warrawong now Flinders boilermaker was better known in graffiti circles by his signature tag 'DAVE', which began appearing on so much public property that NSW Police and Sydney Trains set up a dedicated task force to investigate its origins.

Documents tendered to Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday said CCTV footage showed West hitting up trains at Kiama, Bondi Junction, Kingsgrove, Helensburgh and Martin Place between September last year and May this year.

On each occasion he used spray paint to leave murals with the word DAVE on the side of carriages. Some of the artworks were up to 20 metres long and often completed in less than half an hour.

West was often accompanied by other graffiti artists who left their own signatures on the carriages.

In one case, West was not happy with his work as it appeared on carriages at Kingsgrove, later sending a Whats App message to one of his fellow taggers complaining about the quality of his own workmanship.

"I'm disappointed with that car," West wrote.

His friend replied "don't beat yourself up bro, it was spot on. We finished".

Police arrested West in June, discovering more than 100 cans of spray paint at his home and a sketchbook containing dozens of different designs for his tag.

He was charged with 14 graffiti and trespassing-related offences, to which he pleaded guilty.

Defence lawyer Graeme Morrison said West had had a difficult upbringing marred by his father's drug addiction and he had used graffiti "as an escape".

However, he noted West had begun trying to use his talents for good, having recently gotten in touch with Scout groups and offered his artistic services to paint murals to cover up any graffiti on their buildings etc.

Magistrate Jillian Kiely sentenced West to a two-year community corrections order, which includes 150 hours of unpaid community service work. He was also fined a total of $1320 and ordered to pay Sydney Trains $19,892 in compensation.