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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Barrister Peter Barnett sentenced for two-year fare dodge | Barrister Peter Barnett sentenced for two-year fare dodge |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| A barrister who commuted by train for two years without paying has been given a suspended 16-week prison sentence. | A barrister who commuted by train for two years without paying has been given a suspended 16-week prison sentence. |
| Peter Barnett, 44, travelled from Haddenham and Thame Parkway to London Marylebone, but dodged the full fare by claiming his journey began at Wembley in north-west London. | Peter Barnett, 44, travelled from Haddenham and Thame Parkway to London Marylebone, but dodged the full fare by claiming his journey began at Wembley in north-west London. |
| Chiltern Railways had argued he should pay back nearly £20,000 but the defence said the true value was £6,000. | Chiltern Railways had argued he should pay back nearly £20,000 but the defence said the true value was £6,000. |
| Barnett, from Oxford, admitted fraud by false representation. | Barnett, from Oxford, admitted fraud by false representation. |
| 'Acted badly' | 'Acted badly' |
| Deputy District Judge Olalekan Omotosho said: "There is a need not just to punish you for the offences but also deter others from committing offences." | Deputy District Judge Olalekan Omotosho said: "There is a need not just to punish you for the offences but also deter others from committing offences." |
| She added: "It remains unclear why you acted so badly. | She added: "It remains unclear why you acted so badly. |
| "You let yourself down and your family down, particularly in light of your profession as a lawyer." | "You let yourself down and your family down, particularly in light of your profession as a lawyer." |
| Barnett admitted six counts of fraud by false representation between April 2012 and November 2014 and was ordered to pay back nearly £6,000. | Barnett admitted six counts of fraud by false representation between April 2012 and November 2014 and was ordered to pay back nearly £6,000. |
| City of London Magistrates' Court heard that Barnett - an Oxford graduate and former Rhodes scholar who also worked in the financial services sector - failed to pay for journeys on Chiltern Railways on 655 days between April 2012 and November 2014. | |
| 'Penalty imposed' | 'Penalty imposed' |
| He was thought to have simply "tapped out" with an Oyster card, automatically being charged the maximum Transport for London fare. | He was thought to have simply "tapped out" with an Oyster card, automatically being charged the maximum Transport for London fare. |
| Prosecutors had argued he should pay back £19,689, the full value of the cost of daily returns for the trips he made. | Prosecutors had argued he should pay back £19,689, the full value of the cost of daily returns for the trips he made. |
| However, the defence claimed the value was a penalty imposed by the railway company rather than the true value, because if Barnett had bought a ticket it would have been a weekly one - rather than paying a daily fare. | However, the defence claimed the value was a penalty imposed by the railway company rather than the true value, because if Barnett had bought a ticket it would have been a weekly one - rather than paying a daily fare. |
| The court heard that Barnett ran off when a member of station staff became suspicious about his story and called a supervisor, but had a change of heart and later handed himself in. | The court heard that Barnett ran off when a member of station staff became suspicious about his story and called a supervisor, but had a change of heart and later handed himself in. |
| During an interview with British Transport Police, he confessed that he had been carrying out the scam since April 2012. | During an interview with British Transport Police, he confessed that he had been carrying out the scam since April 2012. |
| Barnett was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and be supervised for 12 months. | Barnett was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and be supervised for 12 months. |