Jailed: Fare Evading Thug Who Attacked Passenger

Holmes: "Serious Violence"

A tube train fare dodger, who punched and kicked a passenger in the face after following him through the ticket barrier, has been jailed.

Rikki Holmes, 33, of Spring Lane, South Norwood deliberately barged into the back of the victim after midnight at London Bridge Underground Station.

When the passenger reacted he was punched to the floor – striking his head – then received more punches, plus kicks.

The victim was taken to hospital, where he was found to have suffered a bleed on the brain, a fractured jaw, a broken nose, a fractured rib and two collapsed lungs.

At Inner London Crown Court Holmes received three years and five months imprisonment, after being convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

He was also guilty of two counts of possession of an offensive weapon and possession of cannabis.

The court heard that at around 12.50am on August 20, 2023, Holmes was with a friend at the station.

He travelled up an escalator before speeding up to barge through the ticket barrier behind the victim, without paying.

They exchanged words before the victim grabbed Holmes' collar, causing Holmes to stumble. 

After punching the victim to the floor Holmes approached the motionless man and continued the attack before fleeing with his friend.

British Transport Police (BTP) detectives launched an investigation. 

As part of their work they launched a media appeal, which resulted in a number of media outlets publishing Holmes’ image and two people come forward to identify him.

Officers raided his home address and found cannabis, a baton and pair of martial arts nunchucks.

On examining his phone they found several messages with another person in which they told Holmes his ‘picture was everywhere’ following the media appeal.

BTP DC Christopher Pretty said: "What started out as a minor dispute over Holmes' pushing behind the victim through the ticket barrier then descended into serious violence that left the victim requiring a lengthy stay in hospital. 

Caught On Camera: Holmes

“The psychological impact on him will also remain for a very long time.

"I'm glad to see that the sentence handed down reflects the gravity of the offence. 

“Holmes continued his attack even when the victim was unconscious on the ground and posed no threat to him at all.

"Holmes didn't cooperate at all during police interviews, but the weight of the evidence we gathered against him, combined with our witness and mobile phone enquiries, meant that we were able to prove his guilt. 

“It's a great reflection of the investigative team's work, and will hopefully go some small way to helping the victim put this traumatic episode behind him."