awaiting prosecution letter

[xdragonflyx]

Hi I wanted advice on an incident I had last Thursday, I purchased a ticket with a 16-25 railcard to travel from Stevenage to Kentish town from the front desk, I displayed my railcard to the ticket officer at front desk and he allowed me to purchase the ticket. On the way back home I was stopped by the inspector who informed me that my railcard was expired by 2 years. I was shocked and he took down my details and said i should be expecting a letter from the prosecution. This was my first time travelling on the train since 2019 due to covid so the last time I used my railcard it was in date. I wanted to know the likely outcome of this incident will they take me to court for this one-time offence, I did tell the man i had the means to pay the remaining money I owed and I'm now very anxious I am a final year student at uni and i would hate to have this on my criminal record since i will be working in the medical field and they are very strict on criminal offences. I understand it was my fault and i should of checked the card was in date, I just have not used it in years , i am really sorry and i am planning to not use the trains ever again after this since it has affected my mental health, I've had to recontact my counsellor for help with my anxiety and struggling to eat. I have drafted a letter for when the letter does arrive which can be seen below. This is my first time ever getting an offence on the train or buying an invalid ticket. After a lot of research, i can see i have committed an offence and i am deeply sorry , i was not aware of any of these rules and laws to do with the train till this incident it has taught me a lot but has been overall a very traumatic experience.

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for your letter and giving me to have the opportunity to respond.

I was stopped by your inspector on the 14th of April 2022 due to me having bought an invalid train ticket the previous day using an expired railcard. I had purchased the ticket from Stevenage issuing ticket office on the 13th of April 2022 where they checked my railcard at the checkout and sold me the train ticket, the receipt is attached below. At the time I was unaware that the railcard had expired until I was made aware of this by the inspector.

I am deeply sorry and understand that I made a careless mistake which I take full accountability for I should have checked the expiry date of my railcard before using it. I understand that the purpose of this prosecution system is to make sure that people of the public do not abuse the railway services available which the government has invested a lot of money into. I am willing to pay any outstanding fees and the cost of your services carrying out this investigation. I am currently in the process of renewing my railcard, so I do not make this mistake again.

As a university student, I understand that this can have a serious negative impact on my ability to get a job in the future and I would kindly like to ask if it is possible that this could be settled out of court. I would be grateful to receive a response as soon as possible so that we can come to a satisfactory conclusion and close the matter. Again, I deeply apologise.

I look forward to your response

Yours faithfully

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi I wanted advice on an incident I had last Thursday, I purchased a ticket with a 16-25 railcard to travel from Stevenage to Kentish town from the front desk, I displayed my railcard to the ticket officer at front desk and he allowed me to purchase the ticket. On the way back home I was stopped by the inspector who informed me that my railcard was expired by 2 years. I was shocked and he took down my details and said i should be expecting a letter from the prosecution. This was my first time travelling on the train since 2019 due to covid so the last time I used my railcard it was in date. I wanted to know the likely outcome of this incident will they take me to court for this one-time offence, I did tell the man i had the means to pay the remaining money I owed and I'm now very anxious I am a final year student at uni and i would hate to have this on my criminal record since i will be working in the medical field and they are very strict on criminal offences. I understand it was my fault and i should of checked the card was in date, I just have not used it in years , i am really sorry and i am planning to not use the trains ever again after this since it has affected my mental health, I've had to recontact my counsellor for help with my anxiety and struggling to eat. I have drafted a letter for when the letter does arrive which can be seen below. This is my first time ever getting an offence on the train or buying an invalid ticket. After a lot of research, i can see i have committed an offence and i am deeply sorry , i was not aware of any of these rules and laws to do with the train till this incident it has taught me a lot but has been overall a very traumatic experience.

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for your letter and giving me to have the opportunity to respond.

I was stopped by your inspector on the 14th of April 2022 due to me having bought an invalid train ticket the previous day using an expired railcard. I had purchased the ticket from Stevenage issuing ticket office on the 13th of April 2022 where they checked my railcard at the checkout and sold me the train ticket, the receipt is attached below. At the time I was unaware that the railcard had expired until I was made aware of this by the inspector.

I am deeply sorry and understand that I made a careless mistake which I take full accountability for I should have checked the expiry date of my railcard before using it. I understand that the purpose of this prosecution system is to make sure that people of the public do not abuse the railway services available which the government has invested a lot of money into. I am willing to pay any outstanding fees and the cost of your services carrying out this investigation. I am currently in the process of renewing my railcard, so I do not make this mistake again.

As a university student, I understand that this can have a serious negative impact on my ability to get a job in the future and I would kindly like to ask if it is possible that this could be settled out of court. I would be grateful to receive a response as soon as possible so that we can come to a satisfactory conclusion and close the matter. Again, I deeply apologise.

I look forward to your response

Yours faithfully

Welcome to the forum.

I suspect you might be able to tweak your letter to make it slightly shorter but fundamentally nothing really wrong with it - but you will need to wait for the letter from them in order to respond or this will just get lost and not connected tot he correct case. Sounds like you realise that.

I would think there is every chance of a settlement without them taking court action and you should not worry as much as you are doing (sorry - easy for me to say).

The staff at the ticket office should have taken more care to check your railcard was in date, but unfortunately the fact that they did not do so has not helped, so they might accept that is a bit of a mitigating factor, tho ultimately it is your responsibility to check your railcard is in date, as I am sure you realise now.

It may also help to get a new railcard ASAP (as it shows you have taken action to avoid the problem again) - although as I note you do not intend to use trains again after this experience (sorry to hear that) I c an see that you may not wish to buy one.

As I say, try not to worry about this if you can - and plenty of advice for you on here when you get their letter etc. Don't be overly worried if the letter is threatening in tone, because you can still write to ask them along the lines of your draft.

There have been plenty of other cases over last year or so of people who have forgotten that their railcards have expired and made similar genuine errors.

If it helps below are some tweaks to your draft in case of help when the time comes:


Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for your letter and giving me to have the opportunity to respond.

I was stopped by your inspector on the 14th of April 2022 due to me having bought an invalid train ticket the previous day as it was pointed out my Railcard has expired using an expired railcard. I had purchased the ticket from the staffed Stevenage issuing ticket office on the 13th of April 2022 where they checked my railcard on purchasing the ticket at the checkout and sold me the train ticket, the receipt is attached below. At the time I was unaware that the railcard had expired until I was made aware of this by the inspector later on my journey.

I am deeply sorry and understand that I made a careless mistake which I take full accountability responsibility for. I should have checked the expiry date of my railcard before using it at the ticket office, but I wanted to assure you I have never hjad any intention to travel without a valid ticket.

I understand that the purpose of this prosecution system is to make sure that people of the public do not abuse the railway services available which the government has invested a lot of money into. I am willing to pay any outstanding fare owed and the cost of your services carrying out this investigation. I am currently in the process of renewing my railcard, so I do not make this mistake again.

As a university student, I understand that this can have a serious negative impact on my ability to get a job in the future and I would kindly like to ask if it is possible that this could be settled without court action out of court. I would be grateful to receive a response as soon as possible so that we can come to a satisfactory conclusion and close the matter. Again, I deeply apologise.

I hope you can look favourably on this request and I look forward to your response.

Yours faithfully

Quote Reply
Report

 

[Gloster]

The one problem that I can see is the length of time since the card ran out: two years is rather a long time not to use a card and then still think it is in date. However, I would still think (but note: I am not one of the experts) that there is a good chance of an out of court settlement, which is a not a fine and leaves no record in the justice system.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi I wanted advice on an incident I had last Thursday, I purchased a ticket with a 16-25 railcard to travel from Stevenage to Kentish town from the front desk, I displayed my railcard to the ticket officer at front desk and he allowed me to purchase the ticket. On the way back home I was stopped by the inspector who informed me that my railcard was expired by 2 years. I was shocked and he took down my details and said i should be expecting a letter from the prosecution. This was my first time travelling on the train since 2019 due to covid so the last time I used my railcard it was in date. I wanted to know the likely outcome of this incident will they take me to court for this one-time offence, I did tell the man i had the means to pay the remaining money I owed and I'm now very anxious I am a final year student at uni and i would hate to have this on my criminal record since i will be working in the medical field and they are very strict on criminal offences. I understand it was my fault and i should of checked the card was in date, I just have not used it in years , i am really sorry and i am planning to not use the trains ever again after this since it has affected my mental health, I've had to recontact my counsellor for help with my anxiety and struggling to eat. I have drafted a letter for when the letter does arrive which can be seen below. This is my first time ever getting an offence on the train or buying an invalid ticket. After a lot of research, i can see i have committed an offence and i am deeply sorry , i was not aware of any of these rules and laws to do with the train till this incident it has taught me a lot but has been overall a very traumatic experience.

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for your letter and giving me to have the opportunity to respond.

I was stopped by your inspector on the 14th of April 2022 due to me having bought an invalid train ticket the previous day using an expired railcard. I had purchased the ticket from Stevenage issuing ticket office on the 13th of April 2022 where they checked my railcard at the checkout and sold me the train ticket, the receipt is attached below. At the time I was unaware that the railcard had expired until I was made aware of this by the inspector.

I am deeply sorry and understand that I made a careless mistake which I take full accountability for I should have checked the expiry date of my railcard before using it. I understand that the purpose of this prosecution system is to make sure that people of the public do not abuse the railway services available which the government has invested a lot of money into. I am willing to pay any outstanding fees and the cost of your services carrying out this investigation. I am currently in the process of renewing my railcard, so I do not make this mistake again.

As a university student, I understand that this can have a serious negative impact on my ability to get a job in the future and I would kindly like to ask if it is possible that this could be settled out of court. I would be grateful to receive a response as soon as possible so that we can come to a satisfactory conclusion and close the matter. Again, I deeply apologise.

I look forward to your response

Yours faithfully

Was it thameslink staff who stopped you and found the railcard out of date?

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

We have seen quite a few instances recently of people being caught with out of date railcards. As long as you engage with a polite, concise way with the train company once there letter arrives then I would say there is a good chance of obtaining an administrative settlement (often called an out of court settlement).

If you are offered a settlement the amount varies depending on the train company and circumstances but tend to be around a hundred pounds plus the outstanding fare. An out of court settlement might appear to be a fine, but it isn't and you won't have a criminal record as a result of accepting one.

In the meantime try and put the incident to the back of your mond and get on with your life. I know that is easier said than done but you are not the first person to be in this situation and I doubt you will be the last.

 

[xdragonflyx]

Was it thameslink staff who stopped you and found the railcard out of date?

Yes it was

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Apr 2022 ==

The one problem that I can see is the length of time since the card ran out: two years is rather a long time not to use a card and then still think it is in date. However, I would still think (but note: I am not one of the experts) that there is a good chance of an out of court settlement, which is a not a fine and leaves no record in the justice system.

Hi , i understand that it looks very off to not know it was expired but genuinely I don't travel on trains I just went for a concert , I hope so I just want it to be over , I just hope they will check my record and see I wasn't travelling on the trains

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Apr 2022 ==

I hope so i don't mind what cost i just want it to be over tbh

Welcome to the forum!

We have seen quite a few instances recently of people being caught with out of date railcards. As long as you engage with a polite, concise way with the train company once there letter arrives then I would say there is a good chance of obtaining an administrative settlement (often called an out of court settlement).

If you are offered a settlement the amount varies depending on the train company and circumstances but tend to be around a hundred pounds plus the outstanding fare. An out of court settlement might appear to be a fine, but it isn't and you won't have a criminal record as a result of accepting one.

In the meantime try and put the incident to the back of your mond and get on with your life. I know that is easier said than done but you are not the first person to be in this situation and I doubt you will be the last.

 

[WesternLancer]

Yes it was

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Apr 2022 ==

Different scenario but since the poster has just made a helpful update on their case involving Thameslink this might be a thread worth you looking over as it shows they were OK to settle. As others have said forgotten expired railcard cases are rather common so good chance of you resolving this IMHO.

Thameslink Single Justice Procedure Notice

Hi All, I have found myself in an absolutely bizarre situation. Today I have received a "Single Justice Procedure Notice" from Thameslink. And I am beside myself with worry. A few weeks ago I received a “Notice of intention to Prosecute” letter from Thameslink, this is off the back of a...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Titfield]

IMHO the TOC would wish to settle this without having to go to court. If it went to Court they would have to admit that their staff were not checking railcards carefully. At the very least this would embarrass them, something they would wish to avoid and of course can easily be avoided by offering you a settlement.

 

[xdragonflyx]

Different scenario but since the poster has just made a helpful update on their case involving Thameslink this might be a thread worth you looking over as it shows they were OK to settle. As others have said forgotten expired railcard cases are rather common so good chance of you resolving this IMHO.

Thameslink Single Justice Procedure Notice

Hi All, I have found myself in an absolutely bizarre situation. Today I have received a "Single Justice Procedure Notice" from Thameslink. And I am beside myself with worry. A few weeks ago I received a “Notice of intention to Prosecute” letter from Thameslink, this is off the back of a...

www.railforums.co.uk

Thank you i hope i will be able to settle it as soon as possible since I do believe if they check my train record they will see i have not used their services since 2019 when i went to my last concert in London which was in date with my railcard

 

[AlterEgo]

IMHO the TOC would wish to settle this without having to go to court. If it went to Court they would have to admit that their staff were not checking railcards carefully. At the very least this would embarrass them, something they would wish to avoid and of course can easily be avoided by offering you a settlement.

Why would it embarrass them? The details don’t get made public in any meaningful way.

 

[xdragonflyx]

IMHO the TOC would wish to settle this without having to go to court. If it went to Court they would have to admit that their staff were not checking railcards carefully. At the very least this would embarrass them, something they would wish to avoid and of course can easily be avoided by offering you a settlement.

That is true i am grateful that i kept the receipt and can use it as evidence to further prove i had no intention to evade the fare, its very hard to evade a fare infornt of their staff face . I hope they will settle out of court cause i think i only owe them £16.50 so i would be potentially looking at a max of £116.50 , the inspector himself was surprised when i told him i was not flagged at the office when i bought the ticket, like you said if it did go to court it could be used against them and i have my bank statement showing i have not used their services so i do believe they would have a poor case against me.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Apr 2022 ==

I

Why would it embarrass them? The details don’t get made public in any meaningful way.

think they mean in court ? They would be asked why their staff failed to notice an expired railcard since they are paid to do so, but i fully accept my mistake and am willing to pay anything to avoid court

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Apr 2022 ==

But we will see for further explanation on why I have not used my railcard, I am currently a final year student in Birmingham, I have no reason to travel to London if I need to go home my parents pick me up or I go on the coach which takes me directly to my town. As well as this in Birmingham, I live in the city centre so I can pretty much walk anywhere if I need to travel I use an uber or the bus. Between 2020-2022 I have been at home during the lockdown and I was not vaccinated so I was avoiding any means of transportation apart from my mum's car and walking. The railcard was purchased by my dad and the email is attached to my dads email so if there was an email sent out about renewing my card it would have gone to my dad who never informed me of the card going out of date. So yes, unfortunately, the card was just sitting in my purse for years and unfortunately on the day of the concert at the ticket office I remembered I had a railcard and made that awful mistake that lead to this issue. I have learnt a lot about the process which I was totally unaware of due to my lack of travelling and will now be a lot wiser. I just hope not to go to court cause I am just about to graduate and It would kill me to see all my hard work go down the drain due to an expired railcard

 

[WesternLancer]

The railcard was purchased by my dad and the email is attached to my dads email so if there was an email sent out about renewing my card it would have gone to my dad who never informed me of the card going out of date. So yes, unfortunately, the card was just sitting in my purse for years and unfortunately on the day of the concert at the ticket office I remembered I had a railcard and made that awful mistake that lead to this issue.

One of the problems is that they basically stopped e-mailing out reminders for railcard renewals during covid - because they were not trying to encourage non essential travel - so v unlikely your dad got an e-mail about it. They still seem to be not sending out reminders (my railcard expires in about 6 days and they have not been in touch with me to suggest I renew it for example)

Anyway - pretty sure you will be in luck on this one and court action will not be their route.

Good luck with those end of year exams / graduation etc.

 

[Haywain]

IMHO the TOC would wish to settle this without having to go to court. If it went to Court they would have to admit that their staff were not checking railcards carefully. At the very least this would embarrass them, something they would wish to avoid and of course can easily be avoided by offering you a settlement.

So, why did the TOC staff not notice? Maybe misreading the date, momentary lack of concentration or something like that. What about the OP? Is it OK to show an out of date railcard and be excused if it isn’t noticed? Point being that responsibility exists on both sides and one is not diminished by the other.

 

[xdragonflyx]

So, why did the TOC staff not notice? Maybe misreading the date, momentary lack of concentration or something like that. What about the OP? Is it OK to show an out of date railcard and be excused if it isn’t noticed? Point being that responsibility exists on both sides and one is not diminished by the other.

I 100% agree with you i was wrong for not checking my railcard prior and the TOC was wrong for not checking the railcard properly before issuing my ticket, both parties are in the wrong I just hope this will be taken into consideration and I can settle out of court since it was a geniune mistake on both parties behalf

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Apr 2022 ==

I 100% agree with you i was wrong for not checking my railcard prior and the TOC was wrong for not checking the railcard properly before issuing my ticket, both parties are in the wrong I just hope this will be taken into consideration and I can settle out of court since it was a geniune mistake on both parties behalf

I am not angry at the TOC I just do not agree that it should be taken to court because there was a mistake made on both sides I understand we all make mistakes and we are all only humans the TOC could have had a very long day and I bought my ticket after peak, unfortunately, its a costly mistake but will hopefully be resolved I forgive him and have no ill feelings towards him its a frustrating situation but I hope the train company can be compassionate and offer me an out of court settlement and understand I am also human and young and I do make mistakes this is definitely a mistake that I have learnt a lot from I am truly sorry and I will be much more vigilant with all my travel cards in my wallet.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Apr 2022 ==

One of the problems is that they basically stopped e-mailing out reminders for railcard renewals during covid - because they were not trying to encourage non essential travel - so v unlikely your dad got an e-mail about it. They still seem to be not sending out reminders (my railcard expires in about 6 days and they have not been in touch with me to suggest I renew it for example)

Anyway - pretty sure you will be in luck on this one and court action will not be their route.

Good luck with those end of year exams / graduation etc.

Oh, i see I was not aware of this, my lack of train knowledge has definitely got me into a lot of trouble. I hope so I will send an update when the letter does arrive , thank you so much. Hopefully, this matter will be sorted very soon

 

[Haywain]

I 100% agree with you i was wrong for not checking my railcard prior and the TOC was wrong for not checking the railcard properly before issuing my ticket, both parties are in the wrong I just hope this will be taken into consideration and I can settle out of court since it was a geniune mistake on both parties behalf

You have to bear in mind that you had only one railcard to check on the day, and plenty of time, while the staff had lots to look at for a matter of a couple of seconds each. In the latter situation mistakes are easily explained.

 

[AlterEgo]

You have to bear in mind that you had only one railcard to check on the day, and plenty of time, while the staff had lots to look at for a matter of a couple of seconds each. In the latter situation mistakes are easily explained.

And also that the railcard was two years out of date, something much more easily noticed if the railcard is yours rather than a stranger’s you get to glance at.

 

[xdragonflyx]

I c

You have to bear in mind that you had only one railcard to check on the day, and plenty of time, while the staff had lots to look at for a matter of a couple of seconds each. In the latter situation mistakes are easily explained.

Completely understand and I am in the wrong for that I should have checked prior which I will be honest I did not

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Apr 2022 ==

And also that the railcard was two years out of date, something much more easily noticed if the railcard is yours rather than a stranger’s you get to glance at.

I understand and I am sorry , looking at my railcard was really the last thing on my mind tbh it wasn't on my mind at all , which is my fault I should of asked my dad when I first got the railcard the terms and conditions of the card I was underage at the time and my dad dealt with all my discount cards, I guess this is another lesson I will learn as a young growing adult

 

[jumble]

think they mean in court ? They would be asked why their staff failed to notice an expired railcard since they are paid to do so, but i fully accept my mistake and am willing to pay anything to avoid court

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Apr 2022 ==

B

My view is that a court would not be in the slightest bit interested in why the staff failed to notice as there is no requirement to have a rail card when purchasing a discounted ticket and pressing the matter is likely to annoy the prosecutions department
( Eg I may not want to waste 10 weeks of validity for no reason if I dont have a card and want to buy an advance 10 weeks ahead ?)

 

[xdragonflyx]

Update
I spoke to both prosecutions and the penalty fare people from Thameslink both have said that they have not got my case on their system, it's been about 2 weeks now since the incident, and it's been mental draining like impending doom. They were really nice and understanding and said that the company is usually very understanding with uni students since they understand we do not have the funds to go to court especially first-time offenders and they said it was okay for me to call once a week to see if I am on the system. Hopefully will be over soon I think afterwards when this is over I will seek a doctor's advice since I have been unable to eat and sleep properly for the last 2 weeks, I feel extremely weary and faint, I was invited to a trip to London Friday which I swiftly declined and had a full mental breakdown. Feels like my life has pretty much come to an end and if I was taken to court I do not see much point in carrying on with this life since it would pretty much be over since that would be all my life working gone since I would be seen as a criminal. I am a studious biomedical student wanting to convert to medicine which would be nearly impossible with a criminal record. Im scared. I have had constant nightmares about the train and feel physically nauseous looking at the train adverts when they pop up on youtube. If anyone has any tips for dealing with this waiting period please let me know since I am struggling

 

[Titfield]

I am very sorry to hear this.
Your University Student Union should have someone trained in assisting students with mental health issues arising from stressful situations such as this. Seek their help at the first possible opportunity.
If you feel you can not do this then could you speak to your GP sooner rather than later?
Again if you feel that you can not do this speak to The Samaritans. https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/talk-us-phone/

Please be reassured that you will get through this and the outcome is extremely unlikely to be anywhere near as bad as you are imagining it to be. This will be sorted out and you can resume your life as normal. In the meantime try and focus your mind on things you enjoy. If you start having "bad thoughts" then try and distract your mind by imagining places and people you associate with good times. Go for a walk, listen to music, play sport. If you find some content on youtube or facebook causes distress then only access the internet for essential stuff such as emails.

I am sure that everyone on this forum wishes you well.

 

[WesternLancer]

Update
I spoke to both prosecutions and the penalty fare people from Thameslink both have said that they have not got my case on their system, it's been about 2 weeks now since the incident, and it's been mental draining like impending doom. They were really nice and understanding and said that the company is usually very understanding with uni students since they understand we do not have the funds to go to court especially first-time offenders and they said it was okay for me to call once a week to see if I am on the system. Hopefully will be over soon I think afterwards when this is over I will seek a doctor's advice since I have been unable to eat and sleep properly for the last 2 weeks, I feel extremely weary and faint, I was invited to a trip to London Friday which I swiftly declined and had a full mental breakdown. Feels like my life has pretty much come to an end and if I was taken to court I do not see much point in carrying on with this life since it would pretty much be over since that would be all my life working gone since I would be seen as a criminal. I am a studious biomedical student wanting to convert to medicine which would be nearly impossible with a criminal record. Im scared. I have had constant nightmares about the train and feel physically nauseous looking at the train adverts when they pop up on youtube. If anyone has any tips for dealing with this waiting period please let me know since I am struggling

Like @Titfield says - do not worry about this to that degree. Plenty of help here for you on how to handle it and as you will see from other threads lots of cases solved with no problems of going to court etc and no long term damage to career prospects. So good luck with your studies and focus on them as they will totally be what gets you where you want to go.

In terms of some of the cases on here yours is a pretty minor infringement so do look at it in those terms.

But def get some help from university of student union advice or counselling service - they are usually really good with v helpful people working for them - they will not judge you but will give you some good advice I am sure.

So thanks for update, good luck, and like I say, feel free to head back here for advice as and when you need it. You probably need to wait a few more weeks till you hear from them given the error was only about 10 days ago - so that in itself is not a reason to be concerned either - just the admin cogs move pretty slowly with this sort of thing.

 

[Blinkbonny]

I wouldn't hesitate to seek medical help if you're feeling as you're describing, dragonfly (and believe me, I know all about it.)

Your problem is, as is pointed out, likely to be a temporary and fairly minor one. What matters is your reaction to it. That reaction, especially in the short term, can be controlled.

Please, please seek help.

Every good wish.

 

[Wethebest838]

If you need anyone to talk to, DM me asap!!

I’ve been in your position before over a similar thing with my cousin who was caught. My cousin was offered an out of court settlement straight away after one letter with the notorious TIL who I’m sure are the worst to deal with. As long as you haven’t come to their attention before then they will most likely write to you and offer.

 

[Tatsceejay]

Update
I spoke to both prosecutions and the penalty fare people from Thameslink both have said that they have not got my case on their system, it's been about 2 weeks now since the incident, and it's been mental draining like impending doom. They were really nice and understanding and said that the company is usually very understanding with uni students since they understand we do not have the funds to go to court especially first-time offenders and they said it was okay for me to call once a week to see if I am on the system. Hopefully will be over soon I think afterwards when this is over I will seek a doctor's advice since I have been unable to eat and sleep properly for the last 2 weeks, I feel extremely weary and faint, I was invited to a trip to London Friday which I swiftly declined and had a full mental breakdown. Feels like my life has pretty much come to an end and if I was taken to court I do not see much point in carrying on with this life since it would pretty much be over since that would be all my life working gone since I would be seen as a criminal. I am a studious biomedical student wanting to convert to medicine which would be nearly impossible with a criminal record. Im scared. I have had constant nightmares about the train and feel physically nauseous looking at the train adverts when they pop up on youtube. If anyone has any tips for dealing with this waiting period please let me know since I am struggling

Hy there, how did you get in contact with the penalty fair people. What did ask them as well ? Thank you

 

[xdragonflyx]

Hi everyone,
Thank you for your words and advice I talked to my parents about it who told me that there is a very low chance of them taking me to court since I am not on their files and have not committed any offences prior so I will probably get asked to pay a sum of money which should be fine and I shouldn't stress over it . They were not happy that the train system does not have a form of warning for first-time offenders that have not appeared on their system( e.g. making the passenger pay the outstanding fee and confiscating the railcard). I am currently arranging more counselling sessions with my university wellbeing centre, I'm feeling a lot better and hope to fully recover fully soon. I will let you know of any updates in terms of the letter.

 

[30907]

Hy there, how did you get in contact with the penalty fair people. What did ask them as well ? Thank you

Please start your own thread about your situation. And welcome!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Apr 2022 ==

Hi everyone,
Thank you for your words and advice I talked to my parents about it who told me that there is a very low chance of them taking me to court since I am not on their files and have not committed any offences prior so I will probably get asked to pay a sum of money which should be fine and I shouldn't stress over it

They are probably right, but no-one can guarantee that.

. They were not happy that the train system does not have a form of warning for first-time offenders that have not appeared on their system( e.g. making the passenger pay the outstanding fee and confiscating the railcard).

Sorry, but please explain to them that that's less of a penalty than an ordinary Penalty Fare - and would lead even more people to take a chance.
(In practice conductors who can sell tickets may show discretion and do this.)

I am currently arranging more counselling sessions with my university wellbeing centre, I'm feeling a lot better and hope to fully recover fully soon. I will let you know of any updates in terms of the letter.

Thanks and best wishes.

 

[NLC1072]

To be fair with the booking office staff not checking the date, realistically you can buy a railcard fare from a self service machine or online. Really there's not such a requirement for them to check the date. It's up to the customer, and the revenue protection staff to make sure they are in date. Although it is good customer service to notice!

 

[Blinkbonny]

Although I agree that is it not the responsibility of the Booking Office staff to notice any discrepancy, the fact that the the Railcard was shown would tend to show there was no intention to deceive.

 

[xdragonflyx]

Please start your own thread about your situation. And welcome!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Apr 2022 ==


They are probably right, but no-one can guarantee that.

Sorry, but please explain to them that that's less of a penalty than an ordinary Penalty Fare - and would lead even more people to take a chance.
(In practice conductors who can sell tickets may show discretion and do this.)

Thanks and best wishes.

Yes at this stage im praying they will be nice to me and offer a out of court settlement , yes I explained to them this but they didn't quite understand how there is not a system of some sort that alerts ticket inspectors of previous fines or prosecutions , but it is what it is there's nothing that can be done until we see the verdict. Thank you

 

[Haywain]

Although I agree that is it not the responsibility of the Booking Office staff to notice any discrepancy, the fact that the the Railcard was shown would tend to show there was no intention to deceive.

Has anyone suggested there was? The fact is that a discount was obtained for which there was no entitlement and that means the ticket was invalid.