amcder2
New Member
Hi Everyone,
I was travelling from Farringdon - Stevenage. Ultimately it doesn’t matter why but for context, that morning I felt out of it and on autopilot. I got off the tube at Farringdon where you walk straight to platform 4 to get the train. I just completely forgot to buy a ticket prior until I heard the officer on the train. As I was on the train, I panicked and bought a ticket from Finsbury Park - Stevenage. Note - obviously not my full journey I was in such a panicked frame of mind I just clicked whatever. The officer realised this was after the journey had set off and said I had an invalid ticket. I accepted this and they gave me a GTREMG witness statement receipt for the invalid ticket from Finsbury Park. (Govia, Thameslink).
I am completely ashamed by this that I lied and purchasing the wrong starting destination and understand how wrong this is to buy a ticket after setting off because it implied that I would be hedging my bets to dodge the barriers at Stevenage via the lift (as the officer had expressed to me). In this instance I genuinely had an error of judgement and panic I should have just owned up to forgetting to buy a ticket and ultimately remembered to buy my ticket the day before!! I understand why it is important to buy your ticket prior to setting off, I am horrified by my actions.
The bit causing me to lose sleep and making me anxious to resolve this issue is a couple months prior, also to my shame, across 1 month I am 100% guilty of trying to get away with a cheaper journey on occasions I was travelling to London to play football or going to meet people. I did this by buying the cheapest tickets to get through the barriers at either end. I’m assuming this will be easy to see when they look at my purchase history. I would estimate this ~10/12 single journeys could be flagged.
(I would estimate (if I took an anytime day single from Stevenage - London (any)) (~£20). Then I would be looking at ~ £250 I owe.)
At the end of that month period I was caught without a valid ticket on a train from Finsbury Park - Stevenage. This was with intention of shortfaring but the officer gave me a penalty fare. (I’m not sure he understood I was trying to short fare or not). I was mortified and paid the fair immediately to the prosecution page even before leaving the train and never thought once to try short fare again. Since, I have purchased full tickets from Stevenage - London and vice versa. This recent incident is now causing me a great deal of stress, I’m riddled with guilt and worry and want to settle all my wrongdoings away from the court.
I am most worried because I’m assuming it would seem evident that I hadn’t learned my lesson since the penalty fare. Even though I thought I had, I evidently didn’t learn enough. This time was genuine error and panic! But I understand that isn’t believed/accepted/taken into consideration because having an invalid ticket is having an invalid ticket which I fully appreciate and understand.
It was a ludicrous thing I decided to do for a bit to “save money”and I feel ridiculous and ashamed for doing it. Prior to the month period I’ve always paid my fares and since the first penalty fairs I have also paid every one until this incident now.
I am wondering the best course of action when the letter arrives?
I don’t know what is expected of me to write, whether it’s just about the incident at hand or I explain fully everything else that I know I have done assuming they will know/have found this?
I also expect it will be a while before the letter comes. I still feel incredibly anxious to the point I feel a loss of appetite and waking up anxious in the night. I’ve felt anxious throughout the days prior and I feel this is going to eat me up until any form of communication has arrived/the process has ended, but I guess this is really what I deserve for making such bad decisions. I just really want to be in the best position to convince I will never ever do this again and I will take extreme care to ensure valid tickets.
I want to come clean and hold my hands up.
However, I am so incredibly worried that they will not accept this and my offer to reimburse and compensate, and push forward with prosecution. A criminal record would cause long-lasting implications that I want to avoid and will happily welcome proceeding with the out-of-court settlement process engaging fully and cooperatively to pay what I owe + the admin fees + any other reparations required.
I have already starting trying to get a spreadsheet together of journeys I have evaded, is there anything else I can do in advance of anything I need to know? I’m just so worried about the prospect of a criminal conviction.
Thanks in advance.
I was travelling from Farringdon - Stevenage. Ultimately it doesn’t matter why but for context, that morning I felt out of it and on autopilot. I got off the tube at Farringdon where you walk straight to platform 4 to get the train. I just completely forgot to buy a ticket prior until I heard the officer on the train. As I was on the train, I panicked and bought a ticket from Finsbury Park - Stevenage. Note - obviously not my full journey I was in such a panicked frame of mind I just clicked whatever. The officer realised this was after the journey had set off and said I had an invalid ticket. I accepted this and they gave me a GTREMG witness statement receipt for the invalid ticket from Finsbury Park. (Govia, Thameslink).
I am completely ashamed by this that I lied and purchasing the wrong starting destination and understand how wrong this is to buy a ticket after setting off because it implied that I would be hedging my bets to dodge the barriers at Stevenage via the lift (as the officer had expressed to me). In this instance I genuinely had an error of judgement and panic I should have just owned up to forgetting to buy a ticket and ultimately remembered to buy my ticket the day before!! I understand why it is important to buy your ticket prior to setting off, I am horrified by my actions.
The bit causing me to lose sleep and making me anxious to resolve this issue is a couple months prior, also to my shame, across 1 month I am 100% guilty of trying to get away with a cheaper journey on occasions I was travelling to London to play football or going to meet people. I did this by buying the cheapest tickets to get through the barriers at either end. I’m assuming this will be easy to see when they look at my purchase history. I would estimate this ~10/12 single journeys could be flagged.
(I would estimate (if I took an anytime day single from Stevenage - London (any)) (~£20). Then I would be looking at ~ £250 I owe.)
At the end of that month period I was caught without a valid ticket on a train from Finsbury Park - Stevenage. This was with intention of shortfaring but the officer gave me a penalty fare. (I’m not sure he understood I was trying to short fare or not). I was mortified and paid the fair immediately to the prosecution page even before leaving the train and never thought once to try short fare again. Since, I have purchased full tickets from Stevenage - London and vice versa. This recent incident is now causing me a great deal of stress, I’m riddled with guilt and worry and want to settle all my wrongdoings away from the court.
I am most worried because I’m assuming it would seem evident that I hadn’t learned my lesson since the penalty fare. Even though I thought I had, I evidently didn’t learn enough. This time was genuine error and panic! But I understand that isn’t believed/accepted/taken into consideration because having an invalid ticket is having an invalid ticket which I fully appreciate and understand.
It was a ludicrous thing I decided to do for a bit to “save money”and I feel ridiculous and ashamed for doing it. Prior to the month period I’ve always paid my fares and since the first penalty fairs I have also paid every one until this incident now.
I am wondering the best course of action when the letter arrives?
I don’t know what is expected of me to write, whether it’s just about the incident at hand or I explain fully everything else that I know I have done assuming they will know/have found this?
I also expect it will be a while before the letter comes. I still feel incredibly anxious to the point I feel a loss of appetite and waking up anxious in the night. I’ve felt anxious throughout the days prior and I feel this is going to eat me up until any form of communication has arrived/the process has ended, but I guess this is really what I deserve for making such bad decisions. I just really want to be in the best position to convince I will never ever do this again and I will take extreme care to ensure valid tickets.
I want to come clean and hold my hands up.
However, I am so incredibly worried that they will not accept this and my offer to reimburse and compensate, and push forward with prosecution. A criminal record would cause long-lasting implications that I want to avoid and will happily welcome proceeding with the out-of-court settlement process engaging fully and cooperatively to pay what I owe + the admin fees + any other reparations required.
I have already starting trying to get a spreadsheet together of journeys I have evaded, is there anything else I can do in advance of anything I need to know? I’m just so worried about the prospect of a criminal conviction.
Thanks in advance.
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