Man sentenced for travelling on fraudulent rail tickets - Kent

A man has been given a suspended sentence and fined after using fraudulent tickets to travel the rail network over four years.

Rory Stickles, 46, of Wakefield Way, Kent, appeared on 2 July at Inner London Crown Court where he was given a 12 month sentence, suspended for two years, after he pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by false representation, nine counts of possession of an article for use in fraud. He was also ordered to pay a fine of £10,000.

The court heard how, 26 January 2024, at around 9.20pm, a member of rail staff was conducting ticket checks at St Pancras International railway station when Stickles approached the barrier line. Initially, Stickles presented a staff ticket which the member of staff noticed was out of date. Upon further inspection, the member of staff noticed further inconsistencies and believed it to be fraudulent. The member of rail staff then showed the ticket to British Transport Police officers and explained the situation.

Grounds were built for a search and Stickles was found to be in possession of nine tickets and passes believed to be fraudulent. The tickets dated back to 2019, amounting to four years’ worth of journeys made fraudulently between Folkestone and St Pancras International. These were seized, checked, and confirmed to be counterfeits. An expert witness estimated the loss in revenue was anywhere between £27,959.70 and £85,546.70.

Investigating officer Police Constable Matthew Spencer said: “Stickles’ fraud covered four years resulting in a significant loss of revenue to Southeastern. He believed he was above other rail passengers in not having to pay the full fare. This is not a victimless crime, with losses like this impacting the honest fare-paying public.

“We will not tolerate fraud on the rail network and we will do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice.”