A SELBY man must pay £645.70 for a £11.70 train journey.

Northern Trains told Kirklees Magistrates Court that Liam Ramsey, 27, travelled from Selby to Leeds on February 16.

When he arrived at Leeds Railway Station, he showed staff at the ticket barrier the outward part of an off peak return ticket between Selby and Wakefield.

But the ticket was dated February 4. He was told it had expired 11 days earlier, so he couldn’t use it for the journey he had just completed.

The correct fare was £11.70, the court was told.

Ramsey failed to produce a valid ticket for the journey, gave his name and his address as Larch Way, Selby, and failed to respond to a letter asking him to explain his actions.

He was then issued with a fixed penalty notice.

Northern Trains told the court because Ramsey didn’t pay that it had arranged for him to be summonsed to appear before the court.

Ramsey did not attend. He was convicted in his absence of deliberately avoiding paying for a train journey.

He was fined £440 and ordered to pay a £44 statutory surcharge, the £150 costs of prosecuting him and £11.70 compensation to the train company.