Overview

• An enforcement officer confronted the student as an e-ticket showed a 16:13 purchase time while it was 16:14, indicating it was bought after the journey.
• The student said he panicked, claimed he forgot to tap in, and expressed fear of a criminal record because he studies law at university.
• He was referred to prosecutors, and the matter was later closed without court after he paid a fine and had no prior fare evasion record.
• The encounter was recorded for Channel 5’s Fare Dodgers: At War With The Law, with the next episode scheduled for Monday, September 1 at 9pm.
• Clapham Junction is a fare evasion hotspot on the South Western Railway network, and TfL reports £188 million lost in 2024/25 alongside rising penalty fares and prosecutions.