A GANG of fraudsters who made and sold fake railway tickets to Bournemouth passengers led an "opulent lifestyle", police say.

Part-time taxi driver James Jennings, of Owls Road in Boscombe, headed up the scheme between December 2009 and December 2016.

The 51-year-old was jailed for three years at London's Blackfriars Crown Court after previously admitting making, adapting, supplying or offering to supply articles for use in fraud.

Mark Duroe, 44, of Warwick Road, Bournemouth, who had pleaded guilty to possessing articles for use in fraud, was ordered to pay £4,036 compensation, £500 fine and £500 costs.

Marc Julian Garcia, 56, of Golden Green, Tonbridge, who admitted to supplying or offering to supply articles for use in fraud, was given a six month community order plus a curfew for six weeks. He was also ordered to pay £500 in costs.

His son Marc Oliver James Garcia, 26, of Golden Green, Tonbridge, who admitted possessing articles for use in fraud, was ordered to pay £380 compensation, £120 fine and £500 costs.

Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Nick Thompson later described it as a "blatant" and "a sophisticated fraud" by ringleader Jennings, who previously worked for South West Trains.

He said Jennings used his "insider knowledge" of the railway industry for the fraud.

Jennings began producing open-ended railway tickets to order, using blank tickets and a computer and printer, it was said.

The tickets were for travel all over the country and many of his clients were based in Bournemouth.

Duroe, Garcia and Garcia were regular purchasers of the fraudulent tickets, according to BTP.

A red holdall containing a printer and computer items was found when Jennings home was searched.

The printer was forensically examined and was found to have been printing railway tickets.

After sentencing, DS Thompson said: "This was a sophisticated fraud organised by an individual who used to work on the railway and used his insider knowledge to circumvent an attempt to create fraudulent tickets, not only exposing himself to risk but also those who purchased from him.

"Over the years he became more and more blatant about the onward sale and exchange of fraudulently produced rail tickets for cash and his confidence was buoyed as he avoided detection.

"This all changed when he was arrested in 2016 and we have now successfully shut down this illegal ticket producing operation.

"Fraud on this scale against railway companies tends to have a knock-on effect on the public.

"It is not right that some people should enjoy an opulent lifestyle at the expense of others, by stealing from legitimate companies, causing losses to their revenue and as a result impacting on the costs of rail fares for honest, paying passengers."