A FARE-EVADER has become the first man in British history to be jailed for persistently failing to pay for train travel.
Paul Alan Richardson, aged 29, of Penge, has been convicted 11 times of fare evasion at Bromley Magistrates' Court in the past three years.
On March 5, he pleaded guilty to three charges of travelling on the railway in September 2002 without having previously paid for a ticket and was sentenced to two months imprisonment for each offence, to run concurrently.
Connex spokesman Sarah Boundy said: "Many of our honest passengers tell us they feel they are subsidising the few who choose not to buy a ticket.
"Connex estimates it loses £30m in revenue each year through fraud and we would rather invest this is money in the railway."
Richardson is currently serving a prison sentence at HMP Belmarsh for unrelated matters.
People have been jailed for not paying fines in the past but never for not paying fares.
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