Hi. Today I did a bit of a daft thing. This morning I bought a return ticket from my local station in Wales to Bristol Templemeads. I then feel asleep partway through the journey and awoke in a bit of a fluster just before the train was about to leave the platform at Bristol Templemeads. Hurriedly I gathered my things and left the train. Part way down the platform I realised I'd left my outward ticket on the train. Now, I've done this many times before, I realised I'd have to pay the inevitable fine (£20). Knowing my bank balance needed topping up, I decided to walk up to the ticket counter and ask for a single ticket from Filton Abbey Wood to Bristol, knowing that this would be less than the £20 and I could escape the station. Conscience wise I felt this was OK, as I'd already paid for a return ticket and I was now handing over more money than the journey would originally cost and as a heavy user of railways I think it's right people that don't actually pay for a ticket at all get caught. This is where things started to go badly wrong. When asked why I didn't buy a ticket from filton, I made a cock and bull story up about the platform being busy and not having enough time to board the train. At this point the ticket person called what I think was a Revenue Collection Officer, who introduced himself and informed me our conversation was being recorded. When he started to question me about what station I'd got on etc and why I hadn't bought a ticket etc, I kept to my simple story. It was only when he said he'd need my personal details and that he'd need to check CCTV that I cracked. I came clean and explained I'd left my ticket on the train from Cardiff and was just trying to lesson my inevitable cost. At that point he started using words like fraud and proceeded to read me my rights. I got a bit confused at this point and quite cross at myself for getting in to this situation. I gave him my personal details nevertheless. He then informed me that he wasn't an officer of the law and that he couldn't detain me. To be honest I found this a bit odd and daft given he had just read me my rights, I chuckled a bit and said "well in that case I'd like to leave and go to work please". At that point he took my return ticket off me, handed me an excess ticket to get home with and let me through the barrier. Having replayed things back in my head, I'm now not sure where I stand, nor what outcome I can expect. Having read up on the matter, I'm concerned that there might be court proceedings and a conviction, which has knocked me for six a little. I'm more than prepared to pay whatever fine comes my way, for being stupid enough to continue the dubious charade, but I certainly don't want to go to court and risk getting a conviction. Does anyone have any suggestions or advice?