A ticket office clerk has been jailed along with five of his colleagues in a £100,000 train fraud.  

Linus Okrah, of Chester Road in Wanstead, was sentenced to 18 months after an investigation by British Transport Police (BTP) and South West Trains.

Despite denying the charges throughout the trial, the 45-year-old, along with five of his fellow clerks at Richmond station, were found guilty at Kingston Crown Court on September 4.

The court heard how the gang sold fake tickets to unsuspecting customers while they pocketed the cash between October 2011 and January 2013.

An investigation was launched in October 2012 after South West Trains found an anomaly in their accounting system.

They were arrested in January 2013, when evidence emerged they had also been taking advantage of the till systems in order to create and use fake travel cards, which were found in locations including their home addresses.

Detective Constable Becci Crampton said: “Between them, these people had more than 50 years service with South West Trains, yet they chose to throw that away for the sake of greed.

“Throughout their trial, they denied any responsibility for the fraud, claiming the irregularities had been caused by technical faults with ticket machines.

“Thanks to the hard work of BTP officers, South West Trains and TfL, we were able to prove this was a lie.

“I am satisfied with the sentences handed down, and hope those involved will use their sentences to reflect on what they have done.”

Tim Shoveller, chief executive of the South West Trains-Network Rail Alliance, said: "I am very pleased that the work of the BTP and our own teams has led to such a successful result.

“This sends a clear sign that there is a severe price to pay for people who behave dishonestly and fraudulently.

"We would like to thank BTP and our own employees who have worked very hard in bringing this complex and detailed case to justice."