Sean Dilley and Molly Stazicker
BBC News
BBC
The railway line in question links parts of Devon and London
A police officer who admitted to knowingly avoiding paying train fares has been sacked for breaching standards of “honesty and integrity” and “discreditable conduct”.
PC Luke Goddard, who joined the Met Police in 2000 and moved to Devon in 2003, had been on long term sick leave following an on-duty injury in 2019.
During a home visit by a supervisor, Sergeant Edwards, in June 2024, he was asked whether the cost of travel was a barrier to his full return to duty.
The officer disclosed that he only paid the £34 fare between Axminster in Devon and Salisbury in Wiltshire “around half of the time” as ticket barriers were open and staff allowed him to travel for free on production of a warrant card.
‘Gain financial advantage’
Mr Goddard, who legitimately used a concession for Metropolitan Police officers to travel as far as Salisbury, told the hearing that he did not believe he had acted dishonestly when he relied on “the discretion” of train managers.
But the panel found he used his position as a police constable to “circumvent payment” between Wiltshire and Devon – two stations that he was not entitled to travel between without a valid ticket.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist found that Luke Goddard had used his position as a police officer to “gain a financial advantage”.
Mr Twist said the public would not expect a serving police officer to behave in the way the officer had and that only dismissal without notice was appropriate.
Mr Goddard, who left the building before the dismissal sanction was handed down, will be added to the College of Policing barred list.
The rail industry says that fare evasion costs about £240m a year and the cost is felt by taxpayers and fare-paying passengers.
