Rail fare dodger who gave school friend's details jailed

James Kelly gave his ex-friend's identity 27 times when issued with a fine

A fare dodger repeatedly gave the name of an old school friend when he was caught travelling without a ticket - racking up more than £7,000 in fines.

James Francis Kelly, from Wallasey, accumulated the charges after regularly skipping fares on local train services.

Kelly, 31, of Gorsedale Road, admitted committing acts with intent to pervert the course of justice, British Transport Police said.

He was jailed for 10 months and ordered to pay a £149 victim surcharge.

PC Marc Atkinson said it was a "blatant attempt" to shift the financial penalties on to an innocent person.

He added: "This was not a sophisticated scam by any means but Kelly's audacity meant that for three years he accumulated fines of up to £7,124 and passed them to an innocent person."

Kelly was first issued with a fixed penalty notice in October 2019 and gave the name of his former friend.

He repeated the fraud a further 26 times over a period spanning until July 2022.

The victim only became aware of the scam when a collection letter was sent to him demanding payment for offences he was found guilty of in his absence.