Forced to pay fine in cash at London Liverpool Street

[cheesetoastie]

I was travelling to London Liverpool Street station without purchasing the correct ticket. I had bought a ticket from Stratford to Liverpool Street but had actually come from an earlier stop and bought my ticket while on the train.
Unfortunately it gave me a paper ticket that i needed to print.

I didn’t really know what to do so just tried my luck and asked an inspector at the gate if i could be let through to print it. They said “yeah of course i can help you with that” and took me to one side. Should’ve known that was too easy.

He proceeded to tell me he knew i had not come from Stratford and if i didn't tell the truth he could make things very hard for me. Whipped out a badge to say he was “undercover” and “i chose the wrong person to approach” because he was not a mere ticket inspector. Did a whole spiel that they would check CCTV, take me to a second location, take me to court and ultimately prosecute me. He had a second man there to back up his claims.

Discussion ended with him saying i needed to pay a fine + the price of another ticket if i didn't want a criminal record. I said okay but i didn't have enough money in my bank account to pay it on the spot. He insinuated i wouldn’t be able to leave without paying - obviously i didn’t want to be held by two men, so said i could pay part cash part card. He said he would help me out by only charging me a child fine which was £30. Conveniently the exact cash i had… Which he took off me, no proper details, no receipt, nothing. He briefly quizzed me on the station I had come from and asked to see something that had my address on it (he made me open my banking to show him as I didn’t have an ID on me). Didn’t write down these details or ask for my name.

In the moment, i knew it didn't feel right but honestly felt intimidated, threatened and ultimately shook down for my cash.

Is this a normal procedure? Was this 2 rogue Greater Anglia staff members?

I feel like I need to report it, but i am worried that i will then have to pay the £50 or £100 fine for travelling with the wrong ticket.

Any advice please!

 

[AlterEgo]

You should report this to Greater Anglia and the British Transport Police. This is not right. There is no such thing as a "child fine" or child penalty fare.

You should contact Network Rail on data.protection@networkrail.co.uk straight away to make a Subject Access Request for any video which shows the interaction at Liverpool Street which will preserve the CCTV.

 

[saismee]

This is not right. There is no such thing as a "child fine" or child penalty fare.

And children are given unpaid fare notices, which are a receipt which require payment within 21 days. You cannot be detained to hand anything over besides your details, especially not cash. What did their uniform look like, what did their badge look like, and were they wearing any name badge or lanyard?

 

[cheesetoastie]

What did their uniform look like, what did their badge look like, and were they wearing any name badge or lanyard?

The man “undercover” had on the same uniform as the other members of staff on the gate - it looked to me like the typical inspector uniform. The badge was metal, in a leather wallet and procured from his trouser pocket - something you would see in a bad cop show. The other man looked more official with a white shirt, tie & lanyard. They were both interacting with all the other members of staff and had passes to tap people through the gates, which i witnessed multiple times. They both clearly worked there and nothing flagged as suspicious.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Aug 2026 ==

You should report this to Greater Anglia and the British Transport Police. This is not right. There is no such thing as a "child fine" or child penalty fare.

You should contact Network Rail on data.protection@networkrail.co.uk straight away to make a Subject Access Request for any video which shows the interaction at Liverpool Street which will preserve the CCTV.

Thank you for the advice! Will get on this immediately.

 

[speedy1]

Thank you for the advice! Will get on this immediately.

I echo what AlterEgo wrote and underscore the severity. Do what they suggest, as this is potentially very serious if what you wrote is exactly what happened.

You should also make notes of what you remember, time, dates, physical descriptions, who said what and so on, while still fresh in your mind. You'll want to make an accurate statement to the BTP/police.

 

[saismee]

The man “undercover” had on the same uniform as the other members of staff on the gate - it looked to me like the typical inspector uniform. The badge was metal, in a leather wallet and procured from his trouser pocket - something you would see in a bad cop show. The other man looked more official with a white shirt, tie & lanyard. They were both interacting with all the other members of staff and had passes to tap people through the gates, which i witnessed multiple times. They both clearly worked there and nothing flagged as suspicious.

Revenue inspectors wear identical uniform to all other customer-facing staff. It all sounds like a real inspector so you should absolutely report this so that it doesn't happen to another person.

Don't worry about the fare evasion you committed, you don't need to mention it. Just say you were pulled aside because you hadn't collected your ticket, and don't lie about anything. And of course pay your train fare from now on please.

 

[cheesetoastie]

I echo what AlterEgo wrote and underscore the severity. Do what they suggest, as this is potentially very serious if what you wrote is exactly what happened.

You should also make notes of what you remember, time, dates, physical descriptions, who said what and so on, while still fresh in your mind. You'll want to make an accurate statement to the BTP/police.

This all happened last Friday. I was meeting a friend who was stood the other side of the barrier waiting for me. She wasn’t in ear shot to hear what was said, but witnessed it all happen - he didn’t realise it was my friend until i was leaving and didn’t seem at all flustered at the realisation she had seen it all. I remember their descriptions, date, gate and time, everything else i can remember is in the original post. I think at the time i was just so taken aback and didn’t really realise how serious something like that was. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Egg Centric]

This all happened last Friday. I was meeting a friend who was stood the other side of the barrier waiting for me. She wasn’t in ear shot to hear what was said, but witnessed it all happen - he didn’t realise it was my friend until i was leaving and didn’t seem at all flustered at the realisation she had seen it all. I remember their descriptions, date, gate and time, everything else i can remember is in the original post. I think at the time i was just so taken aback and didn’t really realise how serious something like that was. Thanks for the advice!

Keep us updated as well - assuming that you're not a fantasist, this is utterly crazy and definitely one for police.

 

[AlterEgo]

I feel this is not the first time we have come across someone who was penalty fared and not given a receipt at Liverpool Street. I will try to find another thread if one exists.

 

[Darandio]

I feel this is not the first time we have come across someone who was penalty fared and not given a receipt at Liverpool Street. I will try to find another thread if one exists.

I believe someone attempted to take cash in lieu of a penalty fare from @RJ there. It was a long time ago though, i'm struggling to find the thread.

Edit*

Found it. But I think there was something newer, I suspect it's the same one you're thinking of.

GA Penalty Fare

Evening all, I got fined today for not having a ticket but I didn't have time to get a ticket. So I got fined BUT..... They didn't take my name, number or address? Can they still fine me? I think GA service is a absolute JOKE. The ticket prices are TOO high for the journey. Help...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[saismee]

I feel this is not the first time we have come across someone who was penalty fared and not given a receipt at Liverpool Street. I will try to find another thread if one exists.

It isn't, I remember the thread you are talking about.

 

[Swedenorer]

Write down and get your friend to write down everything you can remember about the incident now - straight away. With times as close as you can get. They should be able to establish who was working where from this.

 

[blimmo]

I feel this is not the first time we have come across someone who was penalty fared and not given a receipt at Liverpool Street. I will try to find another thread if one exists.

There is this one https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/greater-anglia-penalty-fare.299045/

 

[AlterEgo]

There is this one https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/greater-anglia-penalty-fare.299045/

My memory is not good enough to recall if this is the same thread I am thinking of, but thanks for finding it!

 

[blimmo]

My memory is not good enough to recall if this is the same thread I am thinking of, but thanks for finding it!

I mention another one in that thread that I can't find now (currently rather annoyed with my past self for not actually linking it in the thread).

 

[furlong]

My basic question is:
Is this thread real?
If it is, I'd try to get the transport police interested.
(Quite apart from pocketing the cash, if that's what happened, even just offering to sell a child ticket for the use of someone known not to be a child might be considered to warrant a criminal investigation.)

 

[cheesetoastie]

My basic question is:
Is this thread real?
If it is, I'd try to get the transport police interested.
(Quite apart from pocketing the cash, if that's what happened, even just offering to sell a child ticket for the use of someone known not to be a child might be considered to warrant a criminal investigation.)

Unfortunately it is real. I have now contacted BTP and will see what they come back with.
I think i had convinced myself that it wasn’t that big of a deal. Or that it was my fault for getting myself into a silly situation - then being naïve and handing over cash. I knew in the moment it was wrong but i still did it because i wanted to leave!
Definitely don’t want it happening to someone else.

 

[WesternLancer]

Unfortunately it is real. I have now contacted BTP and will see what they come back with.
I think i had convinced myself that it wasn’t that big of a deal. Or that it was my fault for getting myself into a silly situation - then being naïve and handing over cash. I knew in the moment it was wrong but i still did it because i wanted to leave!
Definitely don’t want it happening to someone else.

How old are you?

Over 16?
Or over 18?

 

[cheesetoastie]

How old are you?

Over 16?
Or over 18?

Over 18

 

[furlong]

There are no circumstances where they are permitted to accept cash for a Penalty Fare without giving you a receipt for what you have paid. If they are unable to give you a receipt for any reason they are required by law to return the cash to you on the spot.

There are no circumstances where they are permitted to impose on you a Penalty Fare without handing it to you in writing.

If you pay in full in cash on the spot and they hand you the Penalty Fare and a receipt for the cash, they are not required to ask for your name and address and date of birth.

Consequently it sounds as though you were not issued with an enforceable Penalty Fare. You would have been asked to pay £50 plus the fare from where you boarded the train which the inspector would already know from your conversation. Penalty Fares are tightly regulated and never less than £50 - adult or child.

If a railway employee sells you a ticket to use that they know not to be valid, that might be deemed as acting outside their duties potentially both as a disciplinary matter and a breach of the law for which they might face prosecution.

If they sold you a ticket without giving you it and you didn't even see it being issued, they invite a suspicion of not actually issuing any ticket at all and stealing the cash, or issuing a cheaper one and pocketing the difference. Inspectors should always issue the ticket in front of you and try to hand you it while usually pointing out the key details on it so allegations of wrongdoing would be unreasonable and mistakes could be spotted immediately.

There are many nuances here but the bottom line is what you described should never happen. That is why I question if this thread is genuine. Such behaviour ought to be investigated so as to try to rule out any criminal activity on the part of other people and to take any disciplinary action if appropriate.

 

[Haywain]

and a breach of the law for which they might face prosecution.

Which law? And who would bring a prosecution to court?

 

[Swedenorer]

The law of common sense of nothing else.

 

[cool110]

Which law? And who would bring a prosecution to court?

Byelaw 21

(1) Subject to Byelaw 21(4), no person shall sell or buy any ticket.
(4) The sale or transfer by, or the purchase or receipt from, an authorised person in the course of their duties or from an authorised ticket machine is excepted from the provisions of Byelaw 21.

Therefore by acting outside the course of their duties the exception fails and the offence is complete

 

[Iskra]

I think the authorities are already aware of this kind of activity. Hence, TOC’s moving towards a position where all enforcement actions are going to be recorded by body worn cameras, to protect all parties.

 

[Richardr]

If someone has stolen £30 it is presumably also against the Theft Act 1968.

 

[speedy1]

I think the authorities are already aware of this kind of activity. Hence, TOC’s moving towards a position where all enforcement actions are going to be recorded by body worn cameras, to protect all parties.

As I understand it their public justification is the passengers are abusive. Are you privy to some inside information here?

If someone has stolen £30 it is presumably also against the Theft Act 1968.

They knew that as it was in the post. They're playing dumb. Someone with their experience also knows the police investigate and the CPS prosecute

 

[Haywain]

If someone has stolen £30 it is presumably also against the Theft Act 1968.

Who has it been stolen from? The OP who didn't have a valid ticket or the employer?

Someone with their experience also knows the police investigate and the CPS prosecute

I am also very aware that the police and CPS are unlikely to get involved in a matter where the amount is so small.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If someone has stolen £30 it is presumably also against the Theft Act 1968.

Or if they obtained it by dishonesty, which they have, then it's fraud.

Plenty of ways to get someone doing that!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Aug 2026 ==

Who has it been stolen from? The OP who didn't have a valid ticket or the employer?

It's certainly been obtained from the passenger under false pretences. They were of the impression it was in payment for a Penalty Fare, which it was not.

It's more fraud than theft though I'd say. Ironic that the correct sum would be £50+fare which is higher, but it doesn't make it not dishonest. Presumably they've got away with it for so long because it was saving the errant passenger money or the risk of being prosecuted - in a way a solicited bribe I suppose.

Either way if this story is as stated someone is going to get the sack and is unlikely to work on the railway again.

 

[Iskra]

Who has it been stolen from? The OP who didn't have a valid ticket or the employer?

I am also very aware that the police and CPS are unlikely to get involved in a matter where the amount is so small.

It’s not small if they’re doing it frequently!

 

[Haywain]

Either way if this story is as stated someone is going to get the sack and is unlikely to work on the railway again.

On the face of it, a pretty straightforward gross misconduct case.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Aug 2026 ==

It’s not small if they’re doing it frequently!

If there is other evidence the police and CPS might be interested.