London to Brighton fare dodger faces jail for 112 unpaid train tickets

One of Britain’s most prolific train fare dodgers faces jail over 112 convictions for not paying for a ticket on journeys spanning nearly two years – many of them from London to Brighton

Charles Brohiri, 29, admitted not paying fares valued at more than £3,000 for Govia Thameslink train journeys between February 2024 and November last year.

At Westminster Magistrates’ Court, the defendant was dressed all in black as he entered dozens of guilty pleas.

In a soft low voice, Brohiri repeated the word “guilty” after the court legal adviser read out each charge, in a process that lasted around 20 minutes.

District Judge Nina Tempia said that Brohiri “now could face a custodial sentence because of the number of offences he has committed”.

He also faces the prospect of having to pay back tens of thousands of pounds in unpaid rail fares as well as costs and court fees that have accrued in the legal proceedings.

In addition, Brohiri, from Hatfield in Hertfordshire, is accused of failing to pay fines worth £48,682 from separate prosecutions brought through the courts between August 2019 and April last year.

Judge Tempia adjourned sentencing until Wednesday 11 February so that a pre-sentence report could be drawn up on Brohiri.

According to court documents, Brohiri could be told to pay back all the unpaid fares, totalling £3,266, as well as the cost of £15,120 of bringing the 112 prosecutions.

He is also accused of continuing to dodge Thameslink fares in late November and December last year, as well as days before his court appearance today (Thursday 15 January).

The charges that he has admitted related to unpaid fares on journeys from London to Brighton and on the Thameslink lines into Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.

The court was told Brohiri continued his campaign of fare dodging after being banned last April from entering Thameslink stations as part of his bail conditions.

In August, a judge drew up a bail condition to specifically ban Brohiri from getting on to a Thameslink train, telling him: “It’s very important you take these bail conditions seriously – you don’t get on any train without having the money.”

But Brohiri’s offending is said to have continued unabated, with the last allegation of fare dodging recorded three days ago – on Monday (12 January).

Brohiri has pleaded guilty to 76 charges of failing to pay for a rail ticket.

He was convicted in his absence in August 2024 of a further 36 charges.

On Thursday, Judge Tempia dismissed Brohiri’s application to have those convictions overturned on a legal technicality.

He argued that the prosecutions were unlawful because they had not been brought by a qualified legal professional.

But handing down her judgment, the judge concluded: “There has been no abuse of the court process.”

At sentencing, Brohiri is also likely to ask for a further seven offences to be taken into consideration so that all his offending could be dealt with together.

Brohiri has been set free on bail until sentencing.