Britain's Most Prolific Fare Dodger Avoids Jail Despite 112 Ticket Offences
One of Britain's most persistent train fare dodgers has been spared a custodial sentence despite accumulating 112 convictions for failing to pay for tickets on journeys spanning nearly two years. Charles Brohiri, a 29-year-old originally from Hatfield in Hertfordshire, avoided immediate imprisonment at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
Extensive Pattern of Offending
The defendant failed to pay fares valued at more than £3,000 for Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) train journeys between February 2024 and November 2025. Brohiri pleaded guilty to 76 charges of failing to pay for a rail ticket and was convicted in his absence in August 2024 of a further 36 charges. District Judge Nina Tempia also took into consideration an additional 16 offences during sentencing, with three of those said to have been committed just one day before the hearing.
Prosecutor Lyndon Harris revealed the remarkable consistency of Brohiri's offending pattern, stating: "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." The last recorded allegation of fare dodging occurred on 10 February 2026, just one day before his sentencing hearing.
Court Sentencing and Judicial Remarks
District Judge Tempia described Brohiri's behaviour as "brazen and persistent" during the proceedings. She told the defendant: "My view is, as is set out in the pre-sentence report, 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."
Despite this strong criticism, the judge noted that the pre-sentence report indicated Brohiri had developed some insight into his crimes and that probation services could potentially assist him. She ultimately sentenced him to three months in jail, suspended for one year, rather than imposing immediate custody.
Additional Penalties and Requirements
Brohiri was ordered to pay back £3,629.60 in unpaid rail fares, though he was not required to pay prosecution costs amounting to £15,120. The court imposed several additional requirements including:
- 150 hours of unpaid work
- A 12-month prohibited activity requirement banning him from traveling on any GTR trains
- Completion of a rehabilitation activity requirement
Judge Tempia issued a stern warning: "Be under no illusion if you commit any other offences and you do not comply with the requirement on this order you will be back in court."
Background and Mitigating Circumstances
The court heard that Brohiri had been homeless for several years and continued his campaign of fare dodging even after being banned from entering Thameslink stations as part of his bail conditions in April 2025. Defence lawyer Eleanor Curzon told the court her client had expressed "remorse and regret for having continued to travel on the trains during the whole period."
Ms Curzon explained that Brohiri had attended university but was forced to drop out, subsequently working as a waiter and in bars before becoming homeless. She stated: "He reiterated to me this morning that if he is given the opportunity to work with probation they can assist him in securing accommodation and employment. It is really these two factors which will put an end to Mr Brohiri's offending."
When questioned about his activities during three years of homelessness in London, Ms Curzon said Brohiri had attempted to obtain support from various charities "but none of it has been consistent enough."
Financial Implications and Future Proceedings
The defendant is scheduled to appear at the same court on 29 March 2026 for a means inquiry to assess whether he can pay further costs. It is claimed he owes £31,742 in outstanding financial orders from previous cases.
A GTR spokesperson commented on the broader implications of fare evasion: "Fare evasion costs the railway an estimated £400 million 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."
The spokesperson added: "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."
