Help - prosection!!!

[Hshere]

Hi there

I was travelling from tamebridge to Birmingham new street being my regular commute to work.
I just started my new job, and my friend said he he had a friend who worked in the trains department and could sort me out a discounted pass. My friend had been using his pass for nearly a year with no problems except that it says direct debit on the pass and I wouldn't be on the system

I walked through new street flashing my pass and got pulled to the side.
The guy asked me where I got my pass from and said direct debit and he asked was I sure? I said yes

He stated that he's going to ask me once more before he gets the police involved. I stated to him I got it from a friend who's friend works in the trains. I gave a name for my friend but stated I didn't know his contact details or his friends details.

He made me aware that my pass was fake, which was news to me. When he asked me did I know, I was like no. I did not lie to the inspector in that sense because I honestly thought it was legit

The inspector proceeded to tell me that in a sense I have commited fraud, was I aware of that? I stated I thought the pass was real.

He then began some sort of regular train interview questions like where I was coming from, where I'm going to and was I using the pass with my details on. I answered all his questions honestly and did not lie.

He stated that I need to wait for a letter to come through and I could face prosecution.

It's been two weeks and I still have not received a letter, what's the timeframe?

Also what punishment will I face?

I am willing to pay the fine but want to avoid court at all costs because I don't want to attract a criminal record as it will effect my job

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[bb21]

Let me get this straight.

So you have a "friend" who you know nothing about, and presumably knows nothing about you, and you bought a ticket from him, presumably at a heavily discounted price? He told you that you would not be on the system, and he told you the ticket was genuine?

Where did you find him?

Did no alarm bell ever ring in your head? What discount was he giving you and how much did you pay for the "ticket"?

 

[maniacmartin]

Given it was supposedly funded by Direct Debit, it sounds like this was some sort of Centro network west midlands pass.

I'm not local to the area, however I am under the impression that these all need photocards, and are non-transferable, so even it it was not fake, this would not have been valid unless it was bought explicitly for you with your photocard.

 

[6Gman]

Hi there

I was travelling from tamebridge to Birmingham new street being my regular commute to work.
I just started my new job, and my friend said he he had a friend who worked in the trains department and could sort me out a discounted pass. My friend had been using his pass for nearly a year with no problems except that it says direct debit on the pass and I wouldn't be on the system

I walked through new street flashing my pass and got pulled to the side.
The guy asked me where I got my pass from and said direct debit and he asked was I sure? I said yes

He stated that he's going to ask me once more before he gets the police involved. I stated to him I got it from a friend who's friend works in the trains. I gave a name for my friend but stated I didn't know his contact details or his friends details.

He made me aware that my pass was fake, which was news to me. When he asked me did I know, I was like no. I did not lie to the inspector in that sense because I honestly thought it was legit

The inspector proceeded to tell me that in a sense I have commited fraud, was I aware of that? I stated I thought the pass was real.

He then began some sort of regular train interview questions like where I was coming from, where I'm going to and was I using the pass with my details on. I answered all his questions honestly and did not lie.

He stated that I need to wait for a letter to come through and I could face prosecution.

It's been two weeks and I still have not received a letter, what's the timeframe?

Also what punishment will I face?

I am willing to pay the fine but want to avoid court at all costs because I don't want to attract a criminal record as it will effect my job

Any help would be appreciated!

I'll confess that I don't entirely understand parts of your story but on the specific questions:

You may be waiting some weeks (even 2-3 months) before you hear anything.

There could well be a criminal prosecution.

You may be able to negotiate an out of court settlement, but can expect it to cost you a lot of money.

You may also need to ponder what evidence regarding your 'friend' you are willing to provide to the prosecuting authorities.

 

[MyFriendMary]

So you were paying for this monthly via Direct Debt or it was just some one-off payment?

Not that is means anything, just curious if whoever the friend's friend was, was able to make a comfortable living taking monthly payments with little/no effort on their half

 

[Hellfire]

I can see no reason why the TOC could not go straight to court. Did you not stop to ask yourself any questions in your rush to save some money? This idea that a friend of a friend can get people discounted rail passes would have been enough to set alarm bells ringing for most people. If someone offered you an expensive new widescreen TV down the pub for £50 would you take it?

All you can do is wait for the letter and respond when it arrives. The TOC could bring a prosecution for fraud. I doubt any court would accept that anyone could have believed a pass obtained in this way could be genuine.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Be interesting to know exactly what sort of pass this is.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Whatever the outcome, I trust that some parts of this story may in future be of use to others as per the aspiration of the thread title.

 

[Hshere]

Let me get this straight.

So you have a "friend" who you know nothing about, and presumably knows nothing about you, and you bought a ticket from him, presumably at a heavily discounted price? He told you that you would not be on the system, and he told you the ticket was genuine?

Where did you find him?

Did no alarm bell ever ring in your head? What discount was he giving you and how much did you pay for the "ticket"?

Basically, my friend who I know very well got it me. He stated that his friend worked in the trains. My friend didn't even know it was fake pass. I just assumed I wouldn't be on the system.
I thought that because he worked in the trains that te pass would be legit

 

[Hshere]

So you were paying for this monthly via Direct Debt or it was just some one-off payment?

Not that is means anything, just curious if whoever the friend's friend was, was able to make a comfortable living taking monthly payments with little/no effort on their half

My pass stated that it was direct debit and it should have been £88.50 a month. I was just giving £40 a month in cash to my friend and then he would pass it on to his friend who would get me the pass

 

[Clip]

My pass stated that it was direct debit and it should have been £88.50 a month. I was just giving £40 a month in cash to my friend and then he would pass it on to his friend who would get me the pass

And you thought that was legitimate did you? A genuine ticket for half the price? Really?


Also was it a Centrocard as someone alluyded to above? How long had you been using this pass for?



As an aside, does anyone know how the Centrocards are printed - normal ticketing stock or something different?

 

[VisualAcid]

I'm not really law savvy, but turning the mutual friend towards the TOC's attention could possibly see them be more sympathetic?

 

[MyFriendMary]

I'm not really law savvy, but turning the mutual friend towards the TOC's attention could possibly see them be more sympathetic?

If the 'friend' does exist.

 

[SussexMan]

I gave a name for my friend but stated I didn't know his contact details or his friends details.

Basically, my friend who I know very well got it me.

So you know your friends very well but have no contact details for them? That must make your friendship quite difficult. What will a court read into that?

 

[Hshere]

So you know your friends very well but have no contact details for them? That must make your friendship quite difficult. What will a court read into that?

I do have contact details for my friend but I lied to the inspector saying I didn't so I didn't grass him in that sense. they may be lenient towards me if I do submit his details I assume ?

 

[Hellfire]

they may be lenient towards me if I do submit his details I assume ?

I wouldn't bank on it.

 

[plastictaffy]

Given it was supposedly funded by Direct Debit, it sounds like this was some sort of Centro network west midlands pass.

I'm not local to the area, however I am under the impression that these all need photocards, and are non-transferable, so even it it was not fake, this would not have been valid unless it was bought explicitly for you with your photocard.

Now someone asked me for one of these Network West Midlands tickets the other week. Although we sign Brum at my depot, we don't often go up there, and I find all the different types of tickets confusing as we don't use them much. However, the guy asked me for a West Mids 2 weekly ticket. I couldn't find it on the machine no matter what I did (turns out we can't sell 'em, but, like I said, West Mids tickets confuse the hell out of me) The ticket he showed me that had expired didn't require a photocard. As I understand it, a lot of the Weekly, 2 Weekly and monthly tickets don't appear to need photocards. If that's the case, I find myself wondering how the RPI (if that's what he was) knew how the ticket was fake........

 

[TheEdge]

If that's the case, I find myself wondering how the RPI (if that's what he was) knew how the ticket was fake........

It was spotted at the end of June, I suspect that the "ticket" expired in July and that the friend of a friend fell into a common trap for ticket forgers and forgot the railways use a non standard 3 letter code for certain months, July being one of them.

 

[plastictaffy]

It was spotted at the end of June, I suspect that the "ticket" expired in July and that the friend of a friend fell into a common trap for ticket forgers and forgot the railways use a non standard 3 letter code for certain months, July being one of them.

Well I never knew that. You learn something every day. Did you know carrots are alive until they're cooked or chopped??

 

[TheEdge]

Well I never knew that. You learn something every day. Did you know carrots are alive until they're cooked or chopped??

January, February, March, July and December all use non standard codes. (JNR, FBR, MCH, JLY, DMR)

 

[bb21]

January, February, March, July and December all use non standard codes. (JNR, FBR, MCH, JLY, DMR)

FBY (Oops)

 

[Flamingo]

If that's the case, I find myself wondering how the RPI (if that's what he was) knew how the ticket was fake........

Probabally because it hadn't faded into nothing after the first fortnight!