Hey I got very lucky Not sure what happened but I never got any correspondance letter back after the incident itself I would suggest just wait and see, if they get in toug with follow up action, then ask the people on this forum what the best course of action is as they are very knowledgeable on these matters, until then, just try not to worry

Thanks To give you more detail on the ticket, the old ticket was an A4 sheet of paper that I photocopied and changed the date on, so clearly from their perspective there was a clear effort made to avoid paying a fare. Secondly, just to give you full disclosure, it was for a first class ticket, I'm not sure if that is relevant or not, I suspect it will increase the size of the fine they hand out, so I am not sure if this falls under the fare avoidance as you suggested or forgery In your experience, what is the likelyhood I can settle it out of court without a criminal record/caution, or does it entirely depend on who is dealing with this? I'm having an aweful time dealing with this, both unable to sleep and on edge every morning when the post comes through to see who (TOC or BTP) will be dealing with this One final question, will Virgin trains not automatically assume this isn't the first time I've done this and try to pursue harsher penalties?

Does anyone know when I can expect to hear from the TOC? I know having read previous threads they have 6 months to respond, but is there any sort of timeframe they generally come back within or do I just have to sweat it out until I hear from them?

Anyone know how this ended?

Does anyone know a good solicitor I can speak to on this subject and who specialise in these sorts of cases? Thanks

Azrael What was the outcome of all this?

I don't suppose the fact I didn't actually travel on the doctored ticket (admittedly the intention was there), and bought and travelled on a regular ticket means anything? I have also been to see a psychiatrist and intend to get a report from him that I acted out of character, its not in my nature to be dishonest and am not sure what drove me to this. Is there any chance I can settle this out of court with a fine. I am willing to pay a fine and admin costs and any other expenses incurred

It is the first time I've ever done this or any other offence It was a return journey ticket on an a4 sheet. I was issued one once in the past and came across it in my drawer at work on Friday and having lost 5k on sports betting, I foolishly decided to take it out on the train services. I hadn't pre booked a ticket so just decided to doctor this one and travel for free Up until now I've been a regular on virgin trains having been using them for the past 10 years, to the point that I had a "traveller" card which I was able to get due to the frequency and money I'd spent in the past. This card expired a few months ago and had allowed me free travel for a year. I have since travelled on normal journeys having paid for my tickets but on this occasion I decided to try and get my journey for free I have joined gamblers anonymous in an effort to get myself straight. I don't drink or smoke and this was my only vice which got out of hand and led to my moment of madness

There was a police officer present the time who the revenue inspector consulted with and they decided to let the revenue inspectors deal with it rather than refer it to the police at the time. The police officer said they could have passed this on to me and I'd be taking you to the station right now but theyve decided to deal with it themselves at this stage. The revenue protection officer did ask if it's a forged ticket own up now but I thought that was a ploy to make me admit guilt there and then and then get the police involved. I didn't realise the seriousness of my actions, it's the first time I have been in trouble with the law. I'm absolutely terrified. When can I expect to hear from them? Is there any significance in the fact they didn't refer it to the BTP at the time?

What is the TOC?

Unfortunately it was me, I changed the date and time on a previous ticket

I know, I shouldn't try to lie to get out of it as will only create more issues for myself. But I'm desperate I really don't know what to do and am clutching at straws

I tried to board a virgin train from Manchester with a forged ticket and got stopped by a revenue protection officer and had to give my details and buy a new ticket. It was a Friday evening so they were unable to verify whether it was a real ticket or not so they let me go pending further investigation. I am now worried sick and having read all the previous threads on this topic realise I am in big trouble and could have thrown my career down the drain with this ridiculous attempt to save money. I am awaiting a letter from virgin which I suspect will be looking to prosecute. What are my options? Could I say it wasn't me as I am registered to 2 addresses and so the check they made verified I'd given them the correct details. What are my other choices, I really can't afford to get a criminal record