hi everyone. The matter has now been resolved without a court case. I did get a letter several weeks later asking me to pay an extra £20 fine,the letter did not refer to any particular offence it just mentioned that i had been caught travelling without a ticket,no mention of any regulations or the issue of giving false details. Although i was pleased to get this offer to settle for £20 i thought the letter was odd as it was pretty vague.Any way i called them up on the phone number provided and politely queried what i was being charged £20 for as the pf had already been paid ? The lady then brought up the dishonesty issue which i had admitted to,i told her yes but i was confused why there was no mention of dishonesty on the letter and she made some incomprehensible waffle as to why this was. Anyway she then put me on hold and spoke to her boss and then came back and agreed to waive this £20 as long as i didnt do it again and that sort of thing. So a good result it seems they were not willing or unable to take the matter to court with the pf already paid.But had tried to get an extra £20 which i guess most people would pay.So my advice to people facing possible prosecution would be to take the offer of a pf and pay it on time. Thanks again to everyone who contributed.this forum is excellent.

Bazza S wrote There seems to be a split of opinion as to whether section 5 (3) © can stand on its own.I tend to agree with BazzaS and Stigy that it would look odd going to the magistrates and being prosecuted for not paying the fare and also giving false details when the fare issue had been settled by way of PF,it would mean that half the charge would be historical and no longer relevent. Its possible that i was being threatened with an escalation to section © as a way to pressure me into settling the PF,something to be held in reserve if i got arsy or ignored the PF.But thats just a guess i'll wait and see if i recieve a letter.

Thanks guys for the quick replies,the knowledge of the members here is impressive. When i admitted to the incomplete details which i understand would qualify as false details the RPI started filling out his form regarding that issue,his lackey then asked him "do u still want me to give him a PF ? " he said yes and said something to the effect that they were seperate. I suppose its up to the OP whether they want to pursue it in light of the fact the penalty fare was paid but what i was wondering was that under S5.3 © it states that "Having failed to pay his fare, gives in reply to a request by an officer of a railway company a false name or address" but could it be argued that i did pay the fare to the amount of £2.50 as a cash contribution to the PF ? I have noticed in some other online news regarding this issue that it is sometimes recommended to pay only the full single fare amount at the time if you are in a dispute over a PF, i suppose this is because in any subsequent action they cant claim that the fare was unpaid or even maybe that you tried to avoid it,the question then is does the phrase "failed to pay his fare" refer only to the time before coming into contact with the RPI inspectors. Thanks again

Hi everyone. Any advice greatly appreciated. A month ago i was on a short journey on southern railways and didnt have a ticket. When i got off the train i was confronted by Revenue Protection Officers, i really wasnt paying attention as i had a meeting with a client and was already late. I refused the offer of a penalty ticket and asked them to send me the ticket. I gave an incomplete address as i wanted to think later about whether i would pay it or not. they became suspicious when the name and address didnt check out and they threatened me with getting the railway police and possible arrest. At this point i started to pay more attention, i immediatley admitted that my details were incomplete and gave my full details. The RPI then said i would probably be prosecuted and asked me to sign twice on a form which i did. I was then also given a penalty ticket by his colleague which i paid some cash i think £2.50 which as it turns out covers the short journey i think i did pay the full penalty ticket before the 21 day timeline. I have recieved no other letter so far it has been 1 month. My question is what happens now, will the fact i paid the fare at the time and paid off the penalty ticket help to close the case or are the two issues completely seperate. I mean if the charge is trying to avoid a fare then i did pay the fare and the penalty notice. Or should i expect a summons or letter regarding the other issue ? thanks

bb