A TEENAGER’s sophisticated scam gave him a £148,000 ride on the trains for free, York Crown Court heard.

First-class fraudster Carl Anthony Haywood, 18, used a stolen ticket machine to get himself 100 per cent discounts.

On one occasion, he was caught red-handed with 191 cheating tickets that prosecution barrister Anthony Dunne said had a face value of £148,000. On another, he masqueraded as a railway employee in a bid to get free travel.

His journeys hit the buffers when he was caught on a train in southern England and a court sent him to Hull Prison on remand. But after he took an overdose of anti-depressants behind bars, a judge let him out on bail – on condition he immediately make tracks for Birmingham.

“You have pleaded guilty to a series of sophisticated and technically skilful series of fraud,” Recorder Anton Lodge QC told him at York Crown Court. “The likelihood is you will be sent to prison. But in the light of what I have heard about your mental condition, that is the reason I am going to grant you bail.”

He set conditions that Haywood, formerly of Roseberry Terrace, off Leeman Road, York, live with his father in Parkinson Crescent, Kingstanding, Birmingham, reports three times a week to police, co-operates with the probation service – and stays away from all railway stations, tracks and trains.

He also ordered a pre-sentence probation report and a psychiatric report to be prepared before Haywood returns for sentence in September.

Haywood pleaded guilty to passing off a falsely-issued Rover rail ticket as genuine on July 5, October 6, October 9, November 2, November 3, December 8, and January 13 and falsely claiming to be a railway employee on November 2.

He also admitted handling a ticket issuing machine on a date between August 29 and September 1. He denied stealing a ticket machine from First Great Western Trains on August 31 but admitted possessing a stolen ticket machine to use as part of his scam and carrying 191 falsely issued tickets on the same day. He pleaded guilty to handling stolen railway tickets on September 11, and possessing fraudulently issued tickets on October 6 and October 9.

He denied two more allegations of stealing railway property and one of possessing an article used in fraud on February 6.

His barrister, Helen Hendry, said her client wanted a similar offence taken into account.

It was committed on April 7, the day on which he was arrested and locked up. She pointed out that he could travel by bus to Birmingham.