I boarded FCC train on the 14th April, 2011 at 10:14 from Radlett station to Cricklewood station with a return ticket on a discounted young persons rail card which I always carried with me in my wallet. I produced my ticket on demand by the RP inspector en route near Mill Hill Broadway and also produced my young persons railcard on demand only that I realized my young persons railcard had expired some days before the day I travelled with it on the notification of the inspector. I apologised immediately to the inspector and explained that I hardly use the railcard and had thought my railcard expires in April ending since the time I renewed it last year. The rail inspector explained to me that it was my obligation to always check my rail card before boarding the train and I further apologised and explained that it was an error on my part and I would rectify it as soon as possible but the inspector demanded a £20 penalty charge on the spot. I explained to the inspector that I did not have £20 on me and only had about £2 left on me after buying my ticket. He was filling a form to take the money from me and that I would pay the rest later which I complied with, he then took and checked my details and took a statement from me to explain myself on the form which I also did. The inspector then seized my expired railcard and my ticket for the day. He tore a slip with a number 071292 and told me to expect a letter within 14days to pay up the fine only that I am now receiving a letter after 14days with a notice of intention to prosecute. Please Help!

Hello, your help would be much appreciated. I recently travelled on a Chiltern Railways train out of Marylebone and was threatened with prosecution for attempting to re-use a ticket i later realised had already been used. This was a genuine inadvertent attempt as my wallet is always rammed full of unexpired tickets as i don't always use return legs. However, in this case, clearly according to their technology i had already used it. Here's what happened... After being thwarted at the barrier, I asked one of the train employees nearby why it didn't work (at this stage i was genuinely confused as to why the barrier had not opened when the ticket was in-date), he scanned the ticket and told me that it had already been used. After some general confusion and bewilderment by me, he then requested my details (name, address and d.o.b.) which i wrote on a scrap bit of paper he handed me. At this point, i thought he was going to let me through and send me proof/details of the journey via post and, if it were shown that i had used the ticket, a bill/fare notice etc. This was not the case, however, as he then explained that my details were to be passed to their legal team to decide on whether i should be prosecuted. I was now in shock, although remained calm and was never rude, aggressive or obtuse. He was not wearing a name badge and so i asked what his name was. He initially said that i didn't need his name as it was nothing to do with him: i was going to be dealing with the legal/prosecution team, he said. But after a repeated request he wrote his name on a scrap of paper. (FYI - I was not issued with a penalty notice or summons and was given no official warning/caution or confirmation receipt/notice etc.) By this stage, i had missed the train i had planned to get and so with nothing more to say i walked off to the main waiting area of the station and waited for the next train. When the next train arrived i used another of the unstamped in-date tickets in my wallet and, fortunately, the barriers opened...! N.B. Chiltern railways seemingly check and stamp/mark tickets about 99% of the time, and so when i pulled out an unstamped ticket from my wallet i naturally assumed it hadn't been used. What can i expect to happen? Will i get some sort of penalty fare (although i'm not sure how this would work because Chiltern Railways hasn't lost out i.e. i wasn't actually aboard the train) or will they prosecute? I've read stories that these companies take a 'zero tolerance' approach. Please, please advise?? This was a genuine mistake. I totally unknowingly and unwittingly attempted to use the ticket a second time. I am not a "fare dodger" and feel that this could be proved by looking at my recent travel, backed up by ticket purchases. I have no previous convictions and have never received a penalty fare notice before. Thank you very much in advance for your help. Best regards, Chiltern Traveller!

Hi PLease some one help me, I have a friend who is stressing out almost to the breaking point, please help me with giving some advice. Please Please. He got a on a train to work and forgot his weekly travel pass at home which he had already paid his weekly pass to London, which he does every week but simply forgot it that dat, he now even has a record of the payment n his bank statement. When he realised he it was too late, he went to the train guard to tell him but the train gaurd was really defensive and aggressive and said he would have to pay a massive fine, which scared him and for a stupid reason thinking he did not want to tarnish his own name, he gave a false name but his correct birthdate and address! They proceeded to send a fine to the house, but he failed to open the first letter not knowing who the false name was as he didnt register it was the false name he had used as it was just a random name, so then by the next letter, too much of a coincidence he opened it and it was a court summoned for the prosecusion of travelling without a ticket. He is scared that he will get a criminal record by using a false name to the train guard, will this happen? He wants to go to court but it is not his name, he has paid the train pass so he has not illegally got on the train as he has a payment record, but he did give a false name and this is now more of the issue. Please help, what should he do next?