A man dressed up as a naval officer and fraudulently collected over £200 "for charity" at Wembley Park Station.

Alex Foster, aged 45, was dressed up in a costume during an NFL American Football match between the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium on October 2, 2017.

The Leyton Grange, Leyton resident managed to raise over £200 after standing with a charity bucket at the tube station but an error with his costume meant he was spotted by British Transport Police officers.

Foster was arrested and charged with one count of fraud by false representation and one count of possession of articles for use in fraud.

A jury at Blackfriars Crown Court found him guilty on both counts, and he was handed a two month community order and curfew, as well as the forfeiture and destruction of his uniform and charity bucket.

Inspector Dan Tanner said: “Foster wore a convincing uniform and exploited the popularity of military charities by fraudulently collecting donations from the travelling public at a busy sporting event.

Wembley Park Station, where Foster carried out his fraud

“He did, however, wear an incorrect medal ribbon which initially brought him to police attention.

“In a short space of time before his arrest, he had already collected over £200 which he intended to keep for himself.

“In addition to his sentence, the judge ordered the destruction of the uniform and his charity collection bucket.”

Foster's arrest was part of Operation Sovereign, which targets fraudulent charity collections on the rail network.

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