A RAIL passenger today has a criminal record because he was convicted of exiting from a railway station by an unofficial route.

Jeffrey Hall, of Clarence Street, York, was prosecuted under railway byelaws after he evaded ticket checks at the end of his journey.

In addition to the criminal record, he also has a £438 bill.

Northern Trains Ltd told Doncaster Magistrates Court how Hall committed the offence at Leeds Railway Station.

He approached the ticket barrier leading into the main concourse from the platform side.

He waited by one of the ticket gates until two women approached.

The court was told that as the first woman put her ticket into the gate, Hall hurried through the gate paddles ahead of her and ran onto the station concourse.

As staff called to him to stop, he ran through the concourse onto New Station Street, the rail company told the court.

He didn’t reply to a letter sent to him asking for an explanation for his behaviour, nor did he pay a fixed penalty.

Hall did not respond to a court summons and the case was tried in his absence.

He was fined £220 and ordered to pay a £34 statutory surcharge and £150 prosecution costs.