Hi, I did a really stupid thing about 4 years ago. I wasnt in a very good place at the time. I was caught with a childs ticket before boarding the train. When questioned by the ticket inspector I panicked having never done anything like this before. I didnt know my new address at the time, the ticket inspector came down on me like a ton of bricks and to be honest I was very scared of him and the situation I found myself in. I gave him my name and date of birth and my old address I had no forms of ID appart from a medical note which had my details on it. He took the ticket off me and told me I would recieve something in the post. Obviously I never recieved anything as I was no longer at the address. I am so ashamed at my actions. I have read that if you do not respond to anything from them then they may prosecute in your absence. I am in a very different place now, and feel that I must sort this matter out. I now have a child and husband. I would hate to think that this matter would stop us from taking our child on holiday, stop me from applying for certain jobs, hold my husband back due to my stupid action etc. However I have no idea where to start. I have done lots of research however cannot find any answers. I had thought to ring the company and explain the situation, however I am affraid if they have dropped the case I may incriminate myself futher.Having left this for 4 years I feel that its not going to go in any favor of mine. Obviously I am not wanting to get off with anything. I am perfectly willing/happy to pay any fines etc. I am of the understanding that I would recieve a fine and a criminal record, Im concerned about this as I have no idea what happened with this. I know what I did was terrible and would never ever do anything like that ever again. I no longer live in the uk either so it does make it even more difficult to sort this out. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi all. I have read a few posts on here and thought I would await my letter before posting, but now would look for a little advice if it is possible. The facts are: I was travelling to work from my local station (Whiston) to Liverpool Lime St and was running late, knowing that I could always get a ticket at the other end. There was no problem with this, however I intended on my return journey from Lime St to get off at Wavetree and so just got a return from Wavetree. This was extremely stupid and I don't need telling I was in the wrong, I feel awful about it. Although it's no excuse for my stupidness, I never get the train back to Wavetree and I was in fact using all different trains due to my mum being in hospital - I was going to Wavetree to get a lift to the hospital. It's no excuse at all and im not looking for sympathy but trying to express how bad I feel. Im not one to make excuses but at the age of 22 finding out my mum had a brain tumour my mind wasnt exactly focussed on stations - stupid I know. Anyway, i got stopped after I had purchased my ticket, panicked and gave an incorrect name (but the right address) again -stupid!!!! I told him pretty much straight away what my right name was, but now the letter has come addressed to the original name I gave and not my real name. I really don't want this to go to court - along with the stress of trying to care for my mum, I dont want a criminal record - it would definitely destroy my legal career (I know I should have a better brain than this). I don't know what difference it makes but I have never been in trouble at all and I have now also purchased an annual pass for nothern rail so i dont risk this happening again. Has anyone got any advice please? I do feel terrible and will definitely not be doing anything like this again. I appreciate my stupidity and will be extremely grateful for any advice what so ever. Thank you.

Hi. Really appreciate the advice given to others here and hoping for the same please My journey was from Doncaster to the Peak District. I purchased a ticket from Doncaster to Sheffield, with the intention of deciding my onward journey (train, bus or possible lift from friend) on arrival at Sheffield. On arrival in Sheffield and checking departure boards, the best option was to Chesterfield, where I would get a lift from a friend. I therefore crossed from one side of the platform to the other, to board the train to Chesterfield, with the assumption that I could buy a ticket on the train. Once the train departed I was approached by an official and I asked to buy a ticket to Chesterfield. He issued a Penalty Fare of £20. At the time I felt that there should have been some sort of warning notice that this would happen, so did not pay at the time. On further research, I found that SRA Penalty Fare Rules state that an authorised collector must not charge a penalty fare if warning notices are not displayed (Rule 7.3), and that these warning notices must be displayed so that they can be seen by passengers changing onto a penalty fares train from another train (Rule 4.1). There were no warning notices on the platform at Sheffield (I have been back to double-check), so my understanding is that the Authorised Collector should not have charged the penalty fare, as they were not visible to a passenger (me) changing onto the penalty fares train. I appealed to IRCAS on this basis, but received a rejection letter stating that the appeal was not upheld as purchase of a valid ticket had not been made before travelling. The letter appears to use standard paragraphs to state that ‘train companies operating a penalty fare scheme display statutory warning notices…’. I still do not think that the train company has provided the statutory warning notices, so they should not have issued the Penalty Fare. I have written again to IRCAS with the facts above (with the addition of photographs to show that there are no notices on the station platform) asking them to reconsider the appeal and, in the event that they still feel that I should pay the Penalty Fare, provide a clear explanation as to why the Authorised Collector charged a penalty fare when it appears that he should not have done so. I am awaiting a response. The purpose of this post is to get realistic feedback from those that have seen a lot of these on: Whether I do actually have valid grounds for appeal, or whether I have misunderstood something What’s likely to happen next if IRCAS still reject the appeal If I don’t hear from them by the payment date, whether just to pay the £20, take the hit and move on, even if I am in the right Your advice would be much appreciated – many thanks in advance.

Hello. Today I got caught niave, showing an old ticket which was no longer valid. I got pulled up about it and a guy wrote my details down in a notebook and said i will have the opportunity to explain my situation. I gave them my current address but I am moving in 5 days... Do you think I will recieve the notification before then? If not, who shall I tell my change of details to?

I have had a quick look around here but I cannot find the info I am after. I have had a letter with a £65.50 fine after travelling with the wrong ticket. My mistake entirely, I got mixed up with another similar sounding station, when the error was pointed out I offered to pay the extra 50p but this fell on deaf ears. I want to pay the fine to avoid court action but I need to pay in instalments as I do not have £65.50 as I am a student and have no money now it is the summer. my query is does someone have a template of a letter for this kind of situation? I have come to write to them and have no idea what to put!

Hi All, I think I've gotten myself in a fair whack of trouble and I've seen that this forum has really helped a few people out who have been in my situation in the past, I was wondering if anyone would mind looking over this letter? Hopefully it will explain everything, i'm planning on sending it to FCC. If you could tell me what you thought I would be extremely grateful. Thanks in advance. FYI I have not yet received any summons, I was planning on printing this off and delivering it to the prosecution dept in person. Dear First Capital Connect, I am writing to you to explain a series of events which began on the 13th of July. On the Friday 13th of July 2012 at around 6pm I was traveling from Brighton to East Croydon on the FCC Bedford service. I was distracted, and missed my stop at East Croydon, and so I alighted the train at Farringdon, hoping that I might be able to extend my ticket upon arrival. I proceeded to the gates and asked a FCC employee if I could extend my ticket and was told that I could not, and that a Penalty fare would have to be issued. Not having the funds upon my person to pay the fare at that time, I was told I could pay the fare at a later date if I gave my name and address. I live with my mother, and did not want her to see any communications regarding fines because it would have caused myself embarrassment and her stress, and so impulsively, I gave the name of an old school friend. I regretted doing this immediately, but panicked and thought that the consequences would be fare worse if I did not continue, and stupidly I gave an old address for this person, thinking I might at least then be able to intercept the communications from FCC at the given address and pay the fine that way. I left the station, realising that what I had done was stupid, but unsure of what to do. After realising the potential gravity of my actions I returned to the station on the next working day (Monday 16th, at around 6pm) and confessed everything to a member of station staff, who I think was called xxxx. I told him that I was there to take responsibility for what I had done, and to provide the correct details. He told me I would have to return and talk to the member of staff who completed the form, in this case a staff member called ‘xxx’. He told me she would next be working on Wednesday 18th , and so I returned again this morning at 7am and confessed my grave error to this member of staff, saying that I was willing to accept the consequences and wanted to set the record straight. She gave me the address of the Prosecutions Department to write to, which is why you are receiving this letter. I have enclosed details of the false details which I regrettably gave, and my correct details are also enclosed. I cannot believe how stupid I have been, and I feel an inexpressible burden of regret for my actions and the harm they may have caused to everyone involved in this situation, and I would particularly like to extend an apology to the station staff involved. I realise that fare evasion costs the industry 400 million pounds a year, and I understand the need for a Penalty Fare system. Although I never intended to evade my fare, or to give false details, I can solemnly swear that I have learnt my lesson, and will make sure nothing of this nature ever happens again. I realise that if FCC choose to bring this before court I will have to accept that decision, but if you are willing to settle out of court I would be willing to pay my full penalty fare and offer compensation of £300 pounds to cover all of your costs to this date. I have enclosed both cheques as a token of my sincerity. I would be extremely grateful if FCC were willing to consider this, as a criminal conviction would ruin my career as a social worker, in which I which involves care work with vulnerable and disabled and adults and elderly people. I also have family in the United States, and a criminal conviction would mean I would very likely never see them again. I realise that I have made a grave mistake and now I must leave the issue in your hands. I apologise again for my stupidity and ask that you consider my plea. Thank you.

I was travelling on a train to Hertford North from Finsbury Park. I did not realise Hertford was out of zone 6 and I scanned my Oyster card at finsbury park. I was asked by a ticket inspector for my ticket and I gave him my oyster card to scan. He saidthat was not valid and I had to pay a fine. I said ok. I gave him my name and address and then got off as it was my stop. I then was away on holiday and I came back to a letter from a prosecutions officer asking me to explain why I had no ticket and that they were planning to take me to court and then I had also received a letter from the court explaining I had been summons. The inspectors version of events are different as what I believed happened is he forgot to properly do his paperwork or follow protocol. 1ST discrepancy is that He did not ask where i had travelled from. In his statement he says he did and I said Bowes Park (lie). Secondly, he says I was asked to sign something which again is untrue. This did not happen as I would have. I had already given him my details. He said he then told me it would be reported which again is another lie as if he had of done either I would have. I now have a summons next friday and have been asked to plead guilty and attend or guilty and not attend or not guilty and have it rearranged. admin costs £110 which I am happy to pay if it means I do not get a criminal record. I am tempted though to plead not guilty as I have done nothing wrong. It also says even if I plead guilty and then submit mitigating circumstances which would suggest otherwise which I will. Then they will change my plea and it will be reaaranged. As I scanned my at finsbury park then surely the charge of * entering a train for a purpose of travelling without a ticket entitiling travel is not a valid one? I made a mistake which I was happy to pay for but I feel this has already gone too far as it is.. I have to send the letter by tomorrow and not sure what to do.. thanks in advance for any help you can give.

Hi all, Recently, my wife was sent by my mother to collect her medicines and this errand required a bus journey. My wife has only been in this country for a few weeks and was travelling on the bus unaccompanied for the first time. She had traveled a couple of times before, but that was with me and I would just give her the oyster to touch in and out. Unfortunately, I was away on a conference in Switzerland at the time. She had no knowledge of the difference between a freedom pass, travel card, oyster etc. Long story short, my mother gave her a couple of oysters saying that one of them is topped up and the other is empty, just touch in whichever gives a green light will work. It turns out that since she is partially sighted (only 10% vision remaining) and is on radiotherapy due to a brain tumour, she mistakenly gave my wife her freedom pass instead of one of the oysters because they were all in the same cover. When confronted by the ticket inspector, my wife told her the truth and tried to explain that she had no knowledge of the freedom pass but they obviously accused her of lying etc and took down her details. They didn't caution her or make her sign anything but she was sent a letter today saying that she boarded a bus without the correct pass/oyster etc and that she could explain her circumstances. The thing is that they put the wrong bus route number on the letter - does this mean that they cannot charge her correctly/how to proceed? Might I add, that even though tfl probably doesn't care, we are both junior doctors and would never intentionally do something as devious as fare evasion intentionally. I have proof of my absence, my mothers medical condition, letters of reference from UK and Harvard professors etc for my wife. I also have proof of the topped up oyster that was left at home, although the one that was on her had no credit in it. My wife's travel history should also show up as having only a few journeys, and the freedom pass should show my mother's usual few journeys as well. It was a London Bus in West London. I really hope you guys can help me and advise me how to proceed. Many thanks.

by mistake i take wrong travel card ( we got 2, i have 1-5 zones my miss 2-5) and inspector stop me .. after conversation his give me tiket to travel home and said that i will recieve by post a penalty .. but i didn`t recieve any penalty .. they siut me .. i ask them to give me panalty but they ignored.. and after i plead guilty i reveive 350 pound fine+comp.+cost+ect. so why they didn`t give me fine straight because i ask them in 3 letters to do that ??

Hi, we have received a letter from Northern Rail asking for an explanation for the following reason - my son turned 16 in March and travelled by train in May from Roby to Liverpool and had purchased a childs savaway by mistake (he had not used the train for about 6 months and just asked for a savaway at Roby and unwittingly accepted an under 16 ticket. At Liverpool upon showing his ticket the guard asked his age and my son told him the truth. The guard seemed to accept this and was going to issue him with an adults savaway but then decided to keep his ticket and take his name and address. The journey itself would have cost £2.10 as an adult and the childs savaway cost £2.40 so he had actually paid more than the journey would have cost. My son is in the middle of his GCSE's and is now panicking because of the wording in the letter - "non-payment of rail fare" "serious incident" failure to give satisfactory explanation will result in legal proceedings" "fines" "criminal record" etc. Should I phone them up and try and explain this or write back as they have asked, should we apologise profusely and accept a fine or is there any value in arguing the case? I don't want this to drag on any further as it is already affecting his studies. Thanks

Hi, I have just received my prosecution letter from London Midland which reads, "On the 9th May 2012 a person giving the above name and address was questioned by a member of rail staff with regard to an alleged incident on London Midland Railway. This matte has been previously authorised fr prosecution. Before I proceed further, I invite you to respnd completely in full the bottom section of this letter, making any comments about the incident on the reverse, and send it to the above address within seven days. Failure to respond will lead to the matter being progressed without further notification" What happened is as follows. I was on my way to the University of Birmingham station from Five Ways to sit an exam. Pushed for time I only had enough in change for a child fare and so purchased one to save time. As I went through the barriers the guard asked to see my ticket and seeing it was the wrong fare commenced to prosecute me. At the time I probably didn't act accordingly because of the shock of the situation and the stress of failing to get to my exam ontime. Therefore I wasn't really taking in what he was saying and asking as I was overcome with panic. I just gave him my details and paid for a adult fare with my debit card and managed to get to my exam in time. I never purchase a child fare in order to avoid paying the higher fee, apart from this exception and have used the same journey pretty much everyday for my first year at univeristy. Even in this instane it was just for convenience and not to fare dodge, but obviously the guard didn't buy that. In this situation I can clearly see that I was in the wrong, although I do feel a prosecution is slighlty harsh. Just wondering how to respond to the letter? Should I write this collection of events on the letter and offer to pay any fees to prevent it going further? Any help is thoroughly appreciated.

Dear all, I've been fined on a first capital connect train (and I've paid on the spot) for travelling with a carnet ticket on the wrong direction (using the return ticket instead). This was a genuine mistake. However, the inspector spotted in my wallet (and confiscated) a couple of old tickets; they have been used few times in the past (and he realized that the handwritten date was cancelled and rewritten). he tooked my details on an notebook, and wrote beside them "fake carnet." he also tooked note of a travel card, (that I've used for opening the gates, avoiding to stamp the tickets and then reuse them). In a nutshell, although i did not attempt to travel with those tickets reused, they clearly might have evidences that I've been intentionally dodging the train fares for a couple of months. I was doing this to mitigate the ticket high costs, but now I would just get it right, Can you please help to understand the possible scenarios and how to act accordingly? I would try anything possible to avoid any criminal record.. I would appreciate any suggestions (for blaming i am already doing very well on my own ) Thanks guys. C.

Hi, I'm really distressed and in need of help. On my birthday I travelled from Worthing to London on a advance ticket purchased online. The ticket was only valid with a railcard. When I got on at Worthing station I had my railcard. Somewhere between getting on tot the platform and getting on to the train I misplaced my railcard. (Later it was retrieved by a guard at Worthing and given back to me).... On te train up I didn't realise my railcard was gone... Only at Victoria did I notice my absnet railcard. My ticket was ripped up by the guard at Victoria and I had to purchase a new one.. I was also given a £55 fine which I appealed but this appeal was unsuccessful even after I produced my railcard and explained my extenuating circumstances. They are now refusing to reply to furhter correspondence.. What should I do? I refuse to pay a fine I feel is totally unjust.

Hi just needed some advice with a penalty fare i recieved. I bought two tickets (one for me, one for my brother) when travelling from East Croydon Rail Station to London bridge. I used my 16-25 railcard to get my discount. however i didnt realise that the self service machine applied the discount to both tickets. when reaching London Bridge i was stopped, and the inspector suggested i appeal the fare because i was not at fault and the self service machine should have been clearer when buying multiple tickets. He also mentioned that since i was from Newcastle, and not familiar with the area and protocols, that it would most likely be okay. (received penalty fare 7th May) I appealed online 3 days later , entering the penalty fare notice number, time/date and location online and uploading my 16-25 railcard. I received a letter a week later from the appeals assesor, who asked for a copy of my fine. I sent this back with a copy. I received a debt collection letter before any decision on my appeal was made ! I ignored this but then decided to write a reply explaining my appeal was still pending but by the time i got around to it, i received another letter which i explain below. I received a letter today claiming that my appeal has been rejected because it was not submitted within 21 days. The reason was because i apparently sent the appeal back to the wrong address when i provided a copy of my fine(there's so many addresses thrown at you that im not sure whether i did or not) and therefore missed the deadline. Surely i did not miss the appeal deadline because i initially appealed online ? Any advice on this? How far will Southern Railway take this for a £20 fine? They want me to pay the fine ASAP before incurring admin charges of another £20. Should i send a letter as soon as i can explaining this or is that a waste of time ? Thanks, Zubair

Hi there, Like some advice please. I am a mature medical student. Been abroad many years, and only since August back in the UK in a new area I've never been in before. I have over-riden one stop on my train season ticket. My aim was to attend a one-off academic event in the evening, being held one stop past my usual return destination after university. I was late for my train and I saw no conductor on my journey, which didn't worry me as I assumed I could pay my extension to my season ticket at the destination. This is where my ignorance lies. I asked railway staff if I could pay on my way out, I didn't try to make a dash. The amount would be under £2. I had my monthly season ticket confiscated (worth over £80). I had to buy another monthly the next day. I was questioned brusquely under caution. A colleague from my medical course was screamed at and asked to leave the area by security, because she clarified a question by the Revenue Protection Officer that was unclear, and that I had misunderstood. I acted reasonably and with complicity throughout, although I was a little guarded as we are trained not to accept police cautions as medical students. I am awaiting a letter from the Prosecution Dept. Yesterday (a day after the incident), I wrote a conciliatory email to the train company outlining my regret, my intention never to make the mistake again, and a request for leniency due to my medical student status. I kept to the truth and have an independent witness to corroborate my entire story, including the fact that it was always my intention to pay. I am of the belief that it is sometimes possible to pay extension tickets at this station, for instance in rush hour. I am intending to take some independent legal advice, either through CAB or via a CFA accredited solicitor. The cheaper option the better, for my student pocket. It is my belief that it's unlikely they will take me to court (although they could), and that they will likely issue me with a fine. My questions are thus: 1. What are the likely outcomes of this scenario? How much could I be fined? 2. Why would my season ticket be confiscated, as well as a prosecution considered? Is this normal? 3. I have been told that it is best to pay any fine, then go through the appeals process. Anybody have any views or 4. I am considering contacting my MP, as I feel my treatment was overtly aggressive and the company are abusing their power by implementing incongruous fines (e.g I could be fined £200+ for a 5. Are certain rail companies more aggressively pursuing fare-dodging than others? What is the rationale behind this and what effect is it having? 6. Are there a set of regulations or 'best practice' guidelines around penalty fares/prosecutions? What rail companies are signed up to these? Is there a level of consistency for certain offences? 7. If the case went to court, am I correct in thinking that the burden of proof is on the rail company providing proof that I intended to not pay my fare? What is my status here? 8. What reason would a Rail Company have for choosing not to issue a penalty fare, rather than going through this long-winded process? Would they really go to court for a fare this small? 9. Any further advice around my status as med student/prosecution status gratefully appreciated. Thanks everyone for your time. Ryan

Hi, on my first day of work experience i had to get the train to highbury and islington, getting on at my station i topped up my oyster card with a tenner and thought i wiped in passed the sensor but obviously hadn't (there aren't any barriers at my station so wouldnt have noticed). When i arrived at highbury and islington there was a woman at the foot of the stairway checking peoples oyster cards. Believing i had paid my ticket i gave her my oyster card to check and it beeped showing i hadnt paid. she started reading me my rights and told me that i had to pay a fine. I said i didn't have the means to pay it as it was on the oyster card that i thought i'd paid with and so she took my address and let me be on my way. I walked off from this a little ****ed off but i thought when the fine comes ill pay it and its done. 3 weeks later im receiving a notice of intention to prosecute saying they're taking me to court. I have no idea where this came from and its completely shocked me, i was under the impression that i'd be receiving a penalty fare in the post and now apparently i might be getting a criminal record. Please can you give me some advice as to what to do as i'm really confused and worried that if i get a criminal record it could severely damage my career, and as to why i wouldn't have recieved a penalty fare first? Thanks in advance