Doctor caught using disabled sister’s travel pass to avoid TFL fares

A junior doctor was caught using her disabled sister's Freedom Pass to travel for free on London's public transport services. 

Dr Sharifa Scerif, 27, now faces the risk of being struck off after being reported to the General Medical Council (GMC). 

Screif, who graduated from Birmingham University in 2017, allegedly used the Freedom Pass for two months across December 2017 and January 2018, a tribunal heard. She used her disabled sister's free pass to make journeys on buses, trains and the Underground amounting to £170 worth of fares. 

The junior doctor was eventually found out during a ticket inspection at King's Cross Underground station on 1st February 2018. The ticket inspector had noticed that the photograph on the Freedom Pass had been partially rubbed out. The image was actually of her sister, Fatma. 

Initially, Scerif tried to place blame on her three-year-old niece, claiming that the toddler had mistakenly placed Fatma's pass inside her purse. 

Further investigations revealed that Scerif had used the pass on 80 separate occasions across London to evade public transport fares. After investigations, the police were notified and she was subsequently convicted of fare evasion, fined £200 and reported to the General Medical Council (GMC).

Lawyer for the GMC, Kathryn Johnson commented on the case stating: "A further response from Transport for London confirmed the Oyster card shows a regular pattern of usage, not an isolated incident. She used the pass deliberately on 80 occasions when she was not entitled to use the pass, and her actions of using the pass were dishonest,"

She added: "We are concerned that she tried to justify her behaviour to Transport for London and lied to the inspector who was challenging her."

Sharifa Scerif denies dishonest misconduct. In a statement she said: "I had no idea the Freedom Pass was in my card holder. I had no idea how long it had been there. It was likely in my ticket card holder for a two month period and was using it for that period".

The hearing continues.