Got caught child's oyster card +60 uses - now SJPN

[Grotesque]

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they're trying to make me pay £455.60 in fines + £375 TFL Contribution

They generally do more than try, be advised.

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they need their own lawyers

They have in-house, directly employed lawyers, so it 'costs' them nothing.

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I was recommended this forum for these matters

Excellent recommendation this was. Hopefully not too late.

But they have traced the usage of the card and decided, based on probabilities (times, tap in/out points etc.), that that was you rather than the official holder of the card.

The bottom line is that you have to persuade them that prosecution is not in TfL's own interests. But this could be tricky at 68 offences. I'm afraid that the record will look to the prosecutor as if you only stopped because you were caught.

Post up each piece of previous, but redacted correspondence, please.

[Grotesque]

53 minutes ago, SusMeist3r said:

Also I don't understand how they can associate me with the previous 68 offences even if they time they line up is very similar, they dont have cctv of me doing it so how would they know?

Unfortunately, they're inferable offences.

This may also be due, in their eyes, to the unlikelihood of a 5—10-year-old travelling around London that frequently.

(Note that a zip card's journey history is only held eight weeks after the journey.)

Edited February 19 by Grotesque

[Grotesque]

28 minutes ago, SusMeist3r said:

Should I be mentioning  I was using the card many times to save towards paying my loan off as the main reason?

That would literally be a confession! Blimey. I mean - put it like this, what if that was read out in court?!

[Grotesque]

4 minutes ago, dx100uk said:

but i dont think your present version does that job at all.

dx

It certainly does not. In fact, the OP's present approach, while refreshing, is manna from heaven to any prosecutions team...

You need to avoid

a) Blaming TfL for issuing tickets to five-year-olds;

b) Blaming a 68 x lapse of judgement;

c) Blaming your job;

d) Blaming getting caught;

e) Blaming your immaturity. It will not help, and they may suspect this already.

Do:

a) Be honest

b) That's it.

 

It's still worth writing a letter, perhaps more than one, but honestly, you need to avoid telling them everything you've told us.  Respectful, understanding, apologetic - no need to debase yourself - and fundamentally believable. Good luck!

[Grotesque]

True, but they'd have to know what tax bracket he was in to know whether he was paying it off?

[Grotesque]

40 minutes ago, SusMeist3r said:

since she didn't need them since she can't travel by herself

Just to clarify, that's not quite what they're for; TfL doesn't expect five-year-olds to be travelling around the tube!

They're effectively a means of identifying the child and proving that she s/he is eligible for free travel and, therefore, that their accompanying adult doesn't have to pay a child rate ticket.

Merely FYI, though showing you know about the ticket you misused might go down well.

How they are a great money-saver for families with children in a time of austerity, etc, and that you would greatly regret (be double gutted, you know?) if your actions impacted on that allowance.

[Grotesque]

It's probably a bit late for sending 4 to 5 letters! Although that does depend on the court date.

Your brutal honesty is not far from the mark, though, I totally agree.

@honeybee13 can probably summarise the court proceedings if we ask nicely.
 

@jk2054 it's a good point about the cash. It's a curious thing, but it's still very vague. There's been a mention of being to broke to afford fares, yet living off capital