Fare evasion punishment?

[bingbong]

Was a dumba** the other day and got caught fare evading and made the bigger mistake of lying about where I got on from, then ultimately came clean after some prompting. I was given vague information about what will happen next, so just wondering if anyone on here knows.

TIA

 

[skyhigh]

We'd need more details to advise. From the pinned post -

We need to know all relevant facts in order to assist you, including, for example:
The stations where you started & finished your journey;
The stations where you changed trains (if applicable);
If you presented a ticket(s), the information stated under "Ticket type", "From", "To", "Route", and any other relevant details;
What happened in any encounter with railway staff;
Uploading copies of any paperwork (with personal details redacted) with your post.

 

[bingbong]

Apologies,
Journey: Yate > Bath Spa, changed at Bristol Temple Meads
Ticket presented: Anytime Day Single, Standard, Oldfield Park > Bath Spa

Was civil conversation with all staff and I gave them no grief, just lied under panic initially then tried to play it off but then came clean as I’d been fully caught out

 

[ikcdab]

So I guess this was GWR. And what you did was short fareing.
What happens next is that GWR will write to you and ask for your side of the story. The best advice here is to be completely open and honest. GWR will look at your ticketting history (assuming you bought via an app and not with cash) and they will determine if they think you have done it in the past.
They will then either decide to prosecute you and you will get a criminal conviction and a fine or they will offer you a settlement figure which is the amount you need to pay them to "make it go away". This figure is likely to be the anytime single rate for the avoided fares plus approx £150 admin fee. You will be required to pay this quickly and in one lump sum.
It can take several weeks (anytime up to 6 month) for the initial letter to arrive, but it is very important to watch out for it and act promptly. If you ignore the letter you will be prosecuted in your absence which is fasr worse.
while waiting for the letter, there is not much you can do except make sure you have money available to pay any offered settlement.
When you get the letter, come back here and you will get good advice on how to respond.