He was originally caught last April
Suspicions were raised last autumn when a ticket inspector at Cannon Street station in London noticed he had paid the £7.20 fare incurred by passengers who fail to tap in. Further investigation revealed that he was on Southeastern's database of season ticket holders but he had stopped buying a season ticket in 2008. When he applied for a new season ticket shortly after being challenged, suspicions grew.
"It suggested to our investigators that he hadn't been buying anything," said Rupert Atterbury Thomas, a spokesman for Southeastern. "When our revenue team calculated the cost he made an offer which is the £43,000 and he settled on it. There has been no admission of any sort of guilt."
The payout was calculated on the basis of single fares. This meant the settlement cost him £20,000 more than if he had bought season tickets. The train company defended the decision not to prosecute.
"[Out-of-court settlement] is something that people have a right to do in this country," said Atterbury Thomas. "The punishment is the big amount of money. Fare dodging is something we take very seriously to protect the proceeds of everybody else's tickets. We are rigorous in making sure we catch the people who dodge the fare."
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