A man thought to be one of Britain’s most prolific fare dodgers has admitted 112 offences of ticket evasion totalling more than £18,000.
Charles Brohiri, 29, freeloaded from train company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) for almost two years, riding on railways across the south and east of England without paying his way.
The railway operator has previously said he may owe as much as £30,000 for more than 180 instances of fare evasion in all after being caught by ticket inspectors.
Brohiri, who has previously said he is homeless, has admitted 112 offences of evasion on Thameslink, Great Northern and Southern services – all of which GTR operates -going back as far as February 2024.
Brohiri was convicted of 36 counts of fare evasion last year in his absence, totalling £5,600 in unpaid fares and fines.
He spent almost 20 minutes quietly admitting 76 offences into which he had previously not entered a plea at Westminster Magistrates Court today.
His offending took in stations in London, across the south coast of England and as far north as Peterborough, mostly on journeys to and from the capital.
Between his last appearance in December and his hearing today, it was alleged that he had once sought to avoid buying a ticket , most recently on January 13 – despite the fact he was banned from GTR trains while on bail.
He did not enter a plea for the recent allegations. They will instead be taken into consideration when he is sentenced next month.
Charles Brohiri (pictured in August 2025) avoided 112 fares on trains over nearly two years
Brohiri avoided more than 100 fares on trains operated by Govia Thameslink Railway (pictured: a Thameslink train)
He was taken through each of the offences and asked to plead. In response to each charge, Brohiri, who was dressed from head to toe in black and wore a black slouch beanie hat, quietly said: ‘Guilty.’
In all, he owes GTR £18,386. Ahead of sentencing on February 11, Judge Tempia bailed him again, once again ordering him not to travel on any Govia Thameslink trains, or else face arrest.
District Judge Nina Tempia warned him that he could face a custodial sentence given the number of offences he has committed.
The judge added: ‘I’m remanding you on bail on the same conditions as before. If you break your conditions you will be arrested and could be remanded in custody.’
Asked if he understood this, Brohiri replied: ‘Yeah, sure.’
Lawyers acting for Brohiri had last month sought to have 36 convictions made in his absence quashed, and the other charges thrown out, on a point of law.
Barrister Eleanor Curzon had claimed GTR’s use of a lay prosecutor was a breach of the Legal Services Act, which she said bars those are who are not qualified lawyers from litigating cases.
But District Judge Nina Tempia ruled that the train operating company had acted within the rules to bring the case to court in a victory for the rail firm.
Brohiri had lived in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, but previously told the court he did not own a mobile phone and has relied on libraries for internet access since becoming homeless.
He has also performed as a rapper under the name Rvre Dean. His songs are rife with lyrics about owning diamonds and driving a Mercedes-Benz.
Brohiri hails from Croydon, founded a ‘creative agency’ called ClvssyMvrty and had signed up for a modelling agency, according to one online biography.
The judgment has huge implications for the way railway operators chase up unpaid fares – despite a recent court case that had suggested using lay prosecutors to litigate cases may be in breach of the law.
Firms have used lay prosecutors as a cost-effective means of catching fare evaders for years – but had been advised to take legal advice on the use of lay prosecutors by Department for Transport officials in June.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander then underlined this in August following recommendations from the Office of Rail and Road.
In a letter to firms, she said: ‘As “good” and “efficient” operators, we would not expect you to use lay prosecutors to present cases in court and carry out other regulated legal activities until you are confident that it is lawful to do so.’
But the High Court ruled in September that only qualified solicitors were permitted to conduct litigation in what has become known as the Mazur case.
It sent shockwaves through the law profession, which often relies on paralegals and other people who are not qualified lawyers to carry out legal duties.
Prior to Judge Tempia’s judgment handed down today, Brohiri’s laywers had sought to rely on the judgment in the Mazur case to have his offences thrown out.
