Fare dodger caught red handed after evading £1,650 in tickets
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
A prolific fare dodger was caught red-handed after racking up a £1,650 bill on the Elizabeth line.
The man had avoided paying for almost 250 journeys by using a trick known as short-faring over eight months.
He had been using his Oyster Card to travel from Harold Wood or Romford to Stratford in east London, but he had only bought the fare in Zones 2 to 3, instead of the full fare from Zone 6 to 2.
A monthly Travelcard between Zones 2 to 3 costs £128.7, while a Zones 2 to 6 pass sets you back by £214.7.
Thinking he had gamed the system, the unassuming passenger travelled regularly between the zones by shortening his fare, but the detection system picked up his journeys.
The TfL investigators set up a sting operation at 5.30am to catch the man on his morning commute to Stratford from Harold Wood.
The heated encounter is featured in an upcoming episode of the Channel 5 series Fare Dodgers: At War with the Law, which airs on Monday.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
His fare dodging had created a 35-page dossier of evidence for the investigators Rich and Greg to trawl through to understand his movements – and to set up the best time to catch him in action.
He had avoided paying £1,651 worth of Tube tickets over around 245 journeys.
Irregular payments and travel patterns can be picked up by the TfL's Irregular Travel Analysis Platform (ITAP), which also detects short-faring.
It combs through ticketing and journey data, passengers' information, CCTV and travel patterns to spot fare evaders racking up the biggest bills.
The transport authority spent almost £22 million on a fare dodging crackdown last year.
Around 3.4% of passengers avoided paying for travel between April and December last year.
TfL recovered £400,000 through the courts after the prosecution of 360 worst evaders.
Dressed in normal clothing to stay undercover, the pair waited for the man to walk into their arms.
When asking for a ticket check on his Oyster card, the man says he didn't have one.
'You do, so what did you use to come here,' the investigator asks.
The man continues to insist he has used a bank card.
While he agrees to provide his name and address, but he refuses to show his Oyster card, saying he has lost it. More Trending
He eventually hands over the Oyster card after being taken to a back room for questioning when the investigators said they will call the police if he continues to be 'obstructive.'
After the chat, he continued his journey while the case will be passed onto the TfL prosecution team.
Another short-farer was caught at Waterloo station previously, who evaded paying £20,000 on his regular commute from Surrey to central London.
The next episode of Fare Dodgers: At War with the Law is on Channel 5 airs at 9pm on Monday, June 23 on TV and on the streaming platform.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: Man 'carrying a gun' at Elm Park Underground station arrested during rush hour
MORE: Passengers stuck on trains and platforms in sweltering heat after fire alarm
MORE: Dartford Crossing charge will go up for drivers – here's how much it rises
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Humiliated Putin loses warplanes worth £148,000,000 despite stepping up security
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Vladimir Putin has lost four warplanes worth £37 million each despite stepping up their defences after Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb. A pair of Su-34 fighters were destroyed and two more damaged after an attack on on Marinovka military airfield in Volgograd. Ukraine used long range drones to fly more than 200 miles to inflict the latest £148 million blow to Putin's aerial firepower. It came less than a month after Russia supposedly tightened its military air base security after 40-plus strategic bombers and spy planes were hit in Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb. Russia responded by hitting Ukrainian civilians with a strike on a 21-storey residential block in Odesa, killing a married couple and leaving at least 14 others wounded including children aged three and seven. Furious Russian military analysts confirmed the damage to the Su-34 multi-role fighters used on the frontline for bombing missions against Ukraine, including dropping guided aerial bombs. The latest attack was admitted by pro-war Russian Telegram channel Fighterbomber which raged that the hit 'could and should have been prevented'. 'There is no point in commenting on Marinovka….and it would be nice if not only the [Ukrainians] were held accountable….otherwise, it will continue like this.' The channel expressed fury at the 'multi-billion dollar' losses Putin's forces are suffering. Ukraine's SBU security service said: 'The Ukrainian Special Operations Forces and the SBU used long-range drones to attack Russian fighter jets. 'The attack also caused a fire in the technical and operational part of the enemy airfield, which is a critical infrastructure for a military facility. 'This is where the enemy prepares aircraft for flights, carries out their routine maintenance and repair work.' Ukraine staged the successful strike despite Russia reportedly boosting security around its key air bases. The Su-34s are the backbone of Russia's tactical strike aviation. In Operation Spiderweb drones were launched from trucks positioned close to at least four Russian airfields. In Odessa, fire swept through a residential building after the Russia strike. More Trending The bodies of a married couple – sleeping when Putin's forces struck – were pulled from the rubble. At least 14 were wounded in the strike, with dozens evacuated. Putin has repeatedly targeted civilians in a sign that he has no intention of seeking peace and intends to carry on with his bid to invade and subjugate Ukraine. 'A couple was killed – their bodies were pulled from the rubble of a damaged apartment building,' said Ukraine's national police. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Which countries have reintroduced conscription in Europe? MORE: Putin stages deadly war games after NATO agrees to increase defence spending MORE: Map shows safest countries to be in if global conflict breaks out
Metro
18 hours ago
- Metro
Ecuador's most wanted Narco found cowering under kitchen counter
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A criminal who escaped from prison in late 2023 was found in an underground bunker only accessible through a kitchen counter. 45-year-old Jose Adolfo Villamar, known as 'Fito', is the suspected leader of Los Choneros, Ecuador's largest criminal gang. He's now facing possible extradition to the US on seven charges issued against him in April this year. Villamar was convicted of murder and supplying the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel with tonnes of cocaine in 2011. But he escaped from Guayaquil Regional Prison 18 months ago, and the trail went cold until earlier this month. In early June, several members of his inner circle, including his brother and relatives of his partner, were arrested for allegedly laundering £17.5 million. He was found hiding in his hometown of Manta, with the Ecuadorian Army sharing images of its impressive layout on social media. Interior Minister John Reimberg said soldiers used an excavator to access the bunker during a 10-hour military operation. President Daniel Noboa called Fito one of the main targets of his war against organised crime in the country, which has one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America. 'We have done our part to proceed with Fito's extradition to the United States; we are awaiting their response,' he said. The government had issued a £727,730 reward for information leading to the gang leader's arrest. Following his recapture, Fito was taken to Ecuador's maximum-security La Roca prison in Guayaquil to resume his 34-year sentence for drug trafficking, murder, and organised crime, imposed in 2011. In April, the US government issued seven charges against Fito, including conspiracy to distribute cocaine internationally, use of firearms, and smuggling arms. More Trending The US Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Los Choneros and their leader in February 2024. Brian E. Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said: 'Drug trafficking gangs such as Los Choneros, many with ties to powerful drug cartels in Mexico, threaten the lives and livelihoods of communities in Ecuador and throughout the region. 'We stand in support of Ecuador in its fight to combat drug trafficking, curb the proliferation of prison gangs and prison violence, and take back its streets.' The extradition process to the US is ongoing. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Woman in her 40s stabbed to death just yards away from London Stadium MORE: Sword attacker who murdered schoolboy in rampage jailed for at least 40 years MORE: Teenager caught cowering in bushes after stabbing neighbour 51 times
Metro
18 hours ago
- Metro
Child who was strip searched at school worried she ‘will never feel normal'
A woman who was strip searched as a child at school has said she will 'never feel normal again' after two officers were sacked. Child Q, who was 15 at the time, was strip-searched by female Met officers in 2020 after she was wrongly suspected of carrying cannabis at her east London school. Later it emerged that she was also on her period, with the girl, who is now an adult, saying she felt 'demeaned'. A tribunal has since found the actions of two police officers involved amounted to gross misconduct, describing the incident as 'unjustified and humiliating'. Trainee Det Con Kristina Linge and PC Rafal Szmydynski were sacked, while PC Victoria Wray was given a final warning. In a statement through her lawyers, Child Q said: 'Someone walked into the school, where I was supposed to feel safe, took me away from the people who were supposed to protect me and stripped me naked, while on my period. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'I can't go a single day without wanting to scream, shout, cry or just give up. I don't know if I'm going to feel normal again. 'But I do know this can't happen to anyone, ever again.' Child Q did not give evidence at the hearing due to the psychological damage of the strip search, but said she felt 'demeaned and physically violated'. Child Q's mother said in a statement: 'Professionals wrongly treated my daughter as an adult and as a criminal and she is a changed person as a result. Was it because of her skin? Her hair? Why her? 'After waiting more than four years I have come every day to the gross misconduct hearing for answers and although I am relieved that two of the officers have been fired I believe that the Metropolitan Police still has a huge amount of work to do if they are to win back the confidence of Black Londoners.' The officers involved had failed to acquire proper authorisation at sergeant level which went against the force's policy. The panel has heard that black schoolchildren were more likely to be treated as adults rather than their white peers. But neither age or race were found to be a factor in the way the search was conducted. Cdr Kevin Southworth said in a statement: 'The experience of Child Q should never have happened and was truly regrettable. 'We have sincerely apologised to Child Q since this incident happened. 'Again, I am deeply sorry to Child Q and her family for the trauma that we caused her, and the damage this incident caused to the trust and confidence black communities across London have in our officers.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Woman in her 40s stabbed to death just yards away from London Stadium MORE: Sword attacker who murdered schoolboy in rampage jailed for at least 40 years MORE: Hero officer who ended samurai killer rampage had 'no time for fear'
