dumb mistake!

[mnbvcz]

i was making my way from london vic and in a rush, i had used my contactless card to go through the gates, i changed at brighton, nobody checked for tickets on the train. i didn't have to go through the barrier to get on the next train.

I bought a ticket on the connecting train from Brighton to my home town and was shortly approached by a RPI who asked to see my ticket from the previous train.
I panicked, lied and told him i purchased one and had thrown it away.

I feel really stupid for lying but it was such a stressful time for me (i know of which is no excuse)

I have now received a letter and i don't know what to do!
(this is my first and only offence)

 

[CheesyChips]

What does the letter say? Which company sent you the letter? Does it mention the offences of which you're being accused?

I'd gladly be corrected on this but I could imagine it would be difficult for the railway to prosecute you for failing to hold a ticket for a journey that you have completed when you have since boarded a further train. Afterall, it is rational for somebody to discard their ticket at the end of the ticket's validity.

I assume that the RPI was satisfied that you held a valid ticket for leg of the journey that you were on?

What did you tell the RPI on the train?

 

[Clip]

Prime case of donutting especially not going through any barriers at Brighton so no wonder the RPI asked you for your previous ticket for your previous journey.
I guess you can expect a maximum fare on your contactless card too

 

[mnbvcz]

the letter is from Southern/Thameslink etc (Govia i think?)
it's a 'notice of intention to prosecute'
and the details of my offence is 'failing to hand over a rail ticket for inspection'

Yeah he was just curious about how i got through the gates when he approached me (obviously i didn't need to)

i had told him i purchased a ticket at London Victoria for Brighton, and thrown it away just as i was leaving the train ><

the letter is asking for a response from my point of view, and i'm really worried they might take me to court

 

[cuccir]

I have now received a letter and i don't know what to do!
(this is my first and only offence)

It sounds from what you say that the train company will have plenty of evidence to support a successful prosecution. As CheesyChips outlines, it would be useful to know if the letter mentions either or both the 'Railway Byelaws' and the 'Regulations of the Railways Act'. These are different legislation and your precise actions might differ depending on what the letter says.

That said, the best approach is likely to be to respond with an honest apology, outlining simply and without mitigation what happened. State that you now understand the error of what you did, and offer to pay the full fare for your journey and any administrative costs incurred. If you do this, then there's a good chance that the train company will offer you an 'out of court settlement' (essentially, a payment that stops this going to prosecution) if this is genuinely a first offence. It is not clear cut that you will receive this offer, however, as the act of using a ticket at the start of your journey and the end of your journey ('donutting') is seen by train companies as a particularly deceptive form of fare evasion.

I'd gladly be corrected on this but I could imagine it would be difficult for the railway to prosecute you for failing to hold a ticket for a journey that you have completed when you have since boarded a further train. Afterall, it is rational for somebody to discard their ticket at the end of the ticket's validity.

On this point - the journey isn't completed until you leave 'the railway' (usually understood as the rail network + stations). The law is clear that a traveller is expected to have their ticket on them the whole time, precisely so people can't say "I left my ticket on the train" when they haven't purchased one.

 

[najaB]

I'd gladly be corrected on this but I could imagine it would be difficult for the railway to prosecute you for failing to hold a ticket for a journey that you have completed when you have since boarded a further train.

You are corrected. The same rule that says you may use a combination of tickets to make a journey (split ticketing) means that you have to hold *all* of the tickets for them to be valid for your journey.

That said, the main issue here is the lie. My advice to the OP is not to compound it by continuing the deception. Come clean, admit that you made a mistake and offer to recompense the TOC for its losses/costs and you'll likely be able to settle without it going anywhere near the court.

 

[CheesyChips]

You are corrected. The same rule that says you may use a combination of tickets to make a journey (split ticketing) means that you have to hold *all* of the tickets for them to be valid for your journey.

That said, the main issue here is the lie. My advice to the OP is not to compound it by continuing the deception. Come clean, admit that you made a mistake and offer to recompense the TOC for its losses/costs and you'll likely be able to settle without it going anywhere near the court.

I stand corrected

 

[gray1404]

Have you been making a habit of travelling using your Oyster to open the barriers a London Victoria and then continue down to the South Coast? Did you only buy a ticket on the second train when asked for one?

It just strikes me as odd that a RPI would notice you on the first train and then follow you onto a second, given the high numbers of people who travel on the services out of Victoria to Brighton and how it is very common it is for people to change at Brighton, then ask you for your ticket. I cannot help but wonder why you were being watched?