A prolific fare dodger has been caught without a ticket on his way to court, after already racking up £30,000 in unpaid fines for train fare evasion.
Charles Brohiri, who also goes by his rap name Rvre Dean, is one of Britain’s biggest fare dodgers, so you almost have to respect his commitment to that title after he was caught without a ticket on the morning of his court appearance.
In fact, Brohiri has been caught without a train ticket at almost every station across the Thameslink, Southern and Greater Northern network, which is some feat.
He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ court last week to be sentenced for 36 counts of travelling on a railway without paying, having previously been convicted in absence.
In his defence, the 28-year-old told the court he was homeless, owned no mobile phone and could only access the internet through public libraries.
Gareth Ring, prosecutor for Thameslink, told magistrates: “At 8.16 this morning, Mr Brohiri was stopped on one of our trains without a valid ticket.”
Mr Ring handed the magistrates a dossier which he said contained details of 180 previous instances where Brohiri had been caught without a ticket at Thameslink stations or aboard its trains.
An arrest warrant against Brohiri for over £30,015 in unpaid court fines was issued in February – 3x higher than the previous record for a rail fare evasion fine, which was issued for £10,000 to an unnamed Essex resident last year. Imagine holding the national record for most unpaid fines accumulated? You almost have to respect it really.
Obviously, anyone who has to fork out for extortionately-priced train tickets these days can sympathise with this man. Especially when those trains are so often late, cancelled, replaced, and/or you can’t get a seat due to overcrowding. All that is easier to stomach when you don’t actually pay for your ticket, I imagine.
Of course, it’s not a valid reason to fare dodge. Although I don’t think anyone would be too mad at this fella if he managed to get away with it.
Brohiri’s sentencing has been adjourned to August 20, pending probation reports.
To watch a furious commuter go on a 3-minute rant at a woman who said ‘excuse me’ on the London Underground, click HERE.
