11 January 2024 , 10:56
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A disgraced London Underground worker who was once caught giving himself a £13k Oyster card discount is now facing jail for a string of fresh offences. Lewis Kelly, of East Ham, appeared at the Inner London Crown Court on January 10 after he tricked Subway customers into calling the Waterloo control room to make orders.
The 28-year-old was previously given a nine-month sentence suspended for two years in February last year, but began reoffending within days. Between April and May last year, Kelly was caught hacking his colleagues' emails and posting abuse on social media forum, Reddit. He also sent a colleague a shredded South Western Railways coat in a package marked 'Royal Fail', as well as two Cadbury’s Fudge bars in an apparent homophobic slur, court documents revealed.
Kelly was pictured leaving court wearing a face mask, where he attended to confirm his name in a planned sentencing hearing yesterday. His suspension came after TfL's cyber team flagged a number of computer misuse offences and one count of fraud by false representation, for which he was convicted. In one instance, he changed his colleague's preferred place of work to Cockfosters without her knowledge.
The disgraced worker will be sentenced in FebruaryThe court heard how he 'wanted to get back at people' by hacking their emails and suspended him, but one week into that suspension he travelled to Upton Park station using his staff access, which gave himself a 75 per cent discount equivalent to savings of £13,100 across one year. The judge at the time let Kelly walk free after noting there was 'no personal gain, but it seems to have an element of revenge and revenge is not pleasant'.
Days later, he switched the phone number of the Waterloo control room for a Clapham branch of Subway, causing a flood of calls from Subway customers trying to order sandwiches from London Underground staff.
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On November 7, 2023, Kelly admitted to stealing three South Western railway passes, committing four counts of harassment against his colleagues, and an unauthorised act in relation to a computer. The sentencing was adjourned for psychiatric reports until January 10, but his case was again delayed due to court issues.
Judge Rosina Cottage said on Wednesday that Kelly was in 'significant jeopardy' as she reminded him of his bail conditions. Defence counsel Veronica Ramsden said her client was 'desperate to know what's wrong with him', to which Judge Cottage replied 'it might be some immaturity in taking responsibility for taking some actions'.
She added: "I can understand some defendants want to find explanations other than that they just behaved very badly" and put off Kelly's sentencing until February 1.