Britain's Notorious Fare Dodger Avoids Jail Despite Racking Up Over £30,000 in Unpaid Train Fares

ONE of Britain’s most prolific train fare dodgers has been spared jail after owing more than £30,000 in unpaid tickets.

Charles Brohiri, 29, did not pay fares across a two year period and pleaded guilty to 76 charges of failing to pay for a rail ticket.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard how Brohiri had dodged fares the day before he was due to appear todayCredit: Alamy Charles Brohiri, 29, was given a suspended sentenceCredit: PA

The defendant, originally from , has been homeless for years and was convicted in his absence in August 2024 of a further 36 charges.

Westminster Magistrates’ heard how Brohiri’s offending was so prolific, he had even dodged fares the day before he was due to appear today.

The court heard he did not pay fares valued at more than £3,000 for Govia Thameslink Railway journeys between February 2024 and November last year.

But the railway operator previously claimed Brohiri owes them tens of thousands of pounds.

At his sentencing hearing district judge Nina Tempia told Brohiri: “My view is, as is set out in the pre-sentence report (PSR), that you feel that you are invincible by committing these offences and that you see it as some sort of self-entitlement that you can get away with it.”

The judge also called his offending “brazen and persistent” but that he could benefit from probation.

Brohiri was sentenced to three months in jail, suspended for a year and ordered to pay back £3,629.60 in unpaid rail fares.

He was not ordered to pay prosecution costs, which the court heard amounted to £15,120.

The defendant will also have to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and rehabilitation activity requirement.

And, Brohiri is banned from travelling on any GTR trains for 12 months.

The court heard Brohiri was also banned last April from entering Thameslink stations for fare dodging.

Lyndon Harris, prosecuting, said: “With the exception of the period of October, November (and) December 2024, there have been offences in every month since February 2024 to the present day.”

Eleanor Curzon, defending, told the court: “He has expressed remorse and regret for having continued to travel on the trains during the whole period and particularly the period when he has been appearing before you judge.”

She told the court Brohiri had gone to university but dropped out and has worked in the hospitality industry.

The defendant will appear at the same court on March 29 to assess whether he can pay further costs.

It is claimed he owes £31,742 in outstanding financial orders.

A Govia Thameslink Railway spokesperson said: “Fare evasion costs the railway an estimated £400million a year, directly increasing the cost to the taxpayer and diverting vital public funding away from improving services for passengers.

“That is unfair both on taxpayers and on the vast majority of passengers who pay for their journeys.

“We therefore take our responsibility to protect ticket revenue very seriously.

“Through the careful use of prosecutions, targeted ticket checks, focused action at known hotspots and better reporting tools for staff, we have cut ticketless travel on our network to its lowest level since 2022.”