One of Britain’s most prolific fare dodgers faces jail over 112 unpaid train tickets
A man described as one of Britain’s most prolific train fare dodgers is facing prison after admitting 112 convictions for failing to pay for fares.
Charles Brohiri, 29, pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court to evading more than £3,000 in fares on Govia Thameslink services over a period of nearly two years ending last November.
Dressed from head to toe in black, Mr. Brohiri pleaded guilty to dozens of charges, repeating the word “guilty” in a soft, low voice as each charge was read by the court’s legal counsel. The process reportedly took about 20 minutes.
District Judge Nina Tempia said Brohiri “may now face imprisonment due to the number of crimes he has committed”.
It also faces the prospect of having to repay tens of thousands of pounds in unpaid rail charges, costs and court fees incurred in legal proceedings.
Brohiri, of Hatfield in Hertfordshire, is also accused of failing to pay £48,682 in fines arising from separate cases brought through the courts between August 2019 and April 2025.
Judge Tempia postponed sentencing until February 11 so that a pre-sentence report could be prepared on Brohiri.
According to court documents, Brohiri could be told to repay all outstanding fees totaling £3,266, as well as the £15,120 cost of bringing 112 cases.
He is also accused of continuing to evade Thameslink fares in late November and December last year and in the days before his court appearance on Thursday.
The charges, which he admitted, related to unpaid fares for journeys from London to Brighton in Sussex and on Thameslink lines to Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.
The court was told Brohiri continued his fare-avoidance campaign after he was banned from Thameslink stations as part of his bail conditions last April.
In August, a judge set out a bail condition specifically banning Brohiri from boarding a Thameslink train, telling him: “It is very important that you take these bail conditions seriously; you cannot get on any train without money.”
But Brohiri’s crimes are said to continue unabated; The last allegation of fare evasion was recorded three days ago, on January 12 this year.
Brohiri pleaded guilty to 76 charges of failing to pay for his train ticket.
He was convicted in absentia on a further 36 charges in August 2024.
On Thursday, Judge Tempia rejected Brohiri’s motion to overturn those convictions on a legal technicality.
He argued that the prosecutions were unlawful because they were not brought by a competent lawyer.
However, in making his decision, the judge concluded: “There is no abuse of the court process.”
Brohiri will likely ask for seven more offenses to be taken into account when sentencing, so all of his crimes can be considered together.
Brohiri was released on bail pending sentencing.
A GTR spokesman said: “We welcome the court’s decision to uphold his earlier findings of guilt in respect of 36 offenses and note that he is now convicted of 112 ticket evasion offenses, following 76 guilty pleas entered today.
“Ticketless travel on our network has reached its lowest level since 2022, thanks to the careful use of enforcement, targeted ticket checks, focused actions in known hotspots and better reporting tools for staff.”
