At least this has a happy ending. I received a letter yesterday from Northern Rail advising me that they have decided to drop the case against me. It turns out that people are able to make an honest mistake without being prosecuted.

Old-CodJA, Many thanks for all your help.

I am relying on the following statement - "I explained that I was unsure as to which station I had boarded, that I believed it to be Station A, but if it wasn’t Station A then it would have been one of its neighbouring stations." Surely this proves that there was no intent on my part to avoid the fare, that I had just made a mistake. However, am I able to settle out of court? If so, what is the best way to go about this?

Am I right in thinking that they have to prove that there was intent on my part to avoid payment of the additional £1:20?

"did travel on a railway without having previously paid the fare of £1:20 and with intent to avoid payment thereof" Contrary to S.5 (3) (A) of the Regulation of Railways Act 1889 as amended by section 84 (2) of the Transport Act 1962 and Section 18 of the British Railways Act 1977. Again, I'm hoping that a court will see that there was no intent to avoid the fare, that I have indeed made an honest mistake. I could understand the charge if there was a means of purchasing a ticket at the station where I boarded, or if the conductors machine was working on that particular day and I didn't buy a ticket during the journey (they have since checked and have confirmed that it was not working). Am really starting to worry now.

Many thanks for the response. I am however pleading not guilty and am going to have rely on the court believing that I have simply made an honest mistake. Having since been to the station in question - it was the one prior to where I paid for a ticket, and does not have a ticket machine.

A couple of months ago I boarded a train at an unmanned station that does not have a ticket machine. Below is a letter that I have sent to both the Network provider & the courts explaining the situation. -------------------- On the day in question my wife was giving me a lift to my work in Manchester. The traffic was particularly heavy that day. As we were passing a station I decided to catch a train for the remainder of the journey to avoid being late for work. There was already a train in the station so I boarded and immediately went in search of the conductor. Unfortunately, the conductor’s ticket machine was not working. This was announced over the train’s tanoy system (The Network provider have since verified that the machine was indeed not working on this particular day). It was suggested that passengers requiring tickets should purchase them on arrival at Piccadilly Station. In the rush, I had not paid attention to the name of the station where I had boarded and being in an area that is unfamiliar to me, I was unsure. Believing it to be Station A, on arrival at Piccadilly station I purchased a ticket from Station A to Piccadilly station. Having purchased the ticket I was directed to speak to another member of staff who informed me that all passengers boarding at Station A would have been issued with a specific ticket. I explained that I was unsure as to which station I had boarded, that I believed it to be Station A, but if it wasn’t Station A then it would have been one of its neighbouring stations. I apologised for my mistake and offered to pay the additional fare of £1.20. The member of staff asked for my contact details, which I immediately gave and verified by producing my passport. He then went on to explain that I would receive a letter in due course. I received a letter sometime later asking me to explain what had happened, to which I responded immediately. I confirmed all of the details as above, which since reading the witness statements contained in the summons letter, confirm the events. I would like to express my deep regret that my lack of attention on this particular day may result in a criminal record. I am 32 years old with no previous convictions. I am deeply embarrassed by the whole situation and would like to apologise to all parties involved for this mistake. ------------------------ In response to the above letter I now have a court date arranged to answer the following charge; "Did travel on a Railway without having previously paid the fare and intent to avoid payment thereof" My questions are - why am I being dragged through the courts for making a genuine mistake? and, is there anyway that they can charge me with this?