I was cought by using 60+ oyster card

[Tom12]

Hi everyone,

I was cought by using 60+ oyster card,
I told the staff my details, they will send a letter to me by post.

I am very worried about it. I know I am wrong. I worry I will be prosecuted.

I appreciate if I can get any advise?

Many thanks!

 

[AlterEgo]

Were you caught by TfL?

Whose pass did you use?

Where were you caught?

How many times have you used the pass?

Why did you use it?


If you were caught by TfL the bad news for you is they nearly always prosecute for these offences in the magistrates' court, as they take a very dim view of this sort of deliberate fare evasion.

 

[jfollows]

https://content.tfl.gov.uk/revenue-enforcement-and-prosecutions-policy.pdf may be relevant reading here also.

 

[Tom12]

Were you caught by TfL?

Whose pass did you use?

Where were you caught?

How many times have you used the pass?

Why did you use it?


If you were caught by TfL the bad news for you is they nearly always prosecute for these offences in the magistrates' court, as they take a very dim view of this sort of deliberate fare evasion.

I think they are Tfl
London Liverpool Street station
I used my uncle pass

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 11 Feb 2026 ==

think they are Tfl
London Liverpool Street station
I used my uncle pass

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 11 Feb 2026 ==

think they are Tfl
London Liverpool Street station
I used my uncle pass

 

[AlterEgo]

I think they are Tfl
London Liverpool Street station
I used my uncle pass

Where at Liverpool Street? Had you come from the Tube or Elizabeth Line? It is very important to know which company stopped you.

 

[Tom12]

Where at Liverpool Street? Had you come from the Tube or Elizabeth Line? It is very important to know which company stopped you.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 11 Feb 2026 ==

Elizabeth Line

 

[AlterEgo]

OK, so it'll be TfL you're dealing with.

By way of providing perspective TfL prosecute basically everyone who rips off free travel in this way, because it is a clear abuse of a high value pass paid for by taxpayers. They prosecute 10,000 to 20,000 people a year.

If you have specific mitigation as listed in Section 8 of the document @jfollows posted it may be worth your while employing a solicitor (cost: £500 - £1000) to advocate you should receive only a warning, but be advised these are extremely rare circumstances and TfL prosecute by default. They've caught you out.

What will happen next is TfL will write to you with a verification letter for you to write something in your defence, and then they will make a decision on whether to prosecute or not. If/when you are prosecuted, you will:

- receive a criminal record which is spent after one year
- a fine linked to your income
- have to pay a surcharge on that fine
- have to pay TfL's costs
- have to pay all fares evaded

If you are prosecuted for more than one offence you will be summonsed to court to attend in person, and you will be asked if you want the other offences taken into consideration.

 

[30907]

- receive a criminal record which is spent after one year
- a fine linked to your income
- have to pay a surcharge on that fine
- have to pay TfL's costs
- have to pay all fares evaded

If you are prosecuted for more than one offence you will be summonsed to court to attend in person, and you will be asked if you want the other offences taken into consideration.

A small detail to add: you will almost certainly be prosecuted under the TfL Byelaws for not having a valid ticket. This is the lowest level of offence, and isn't likely to affect your career significantly.

 

[Tom12]

receive a criminal record which is spent after one year

what does this mean?

 

[z444z]

what does this mean?

After one year the conviction will be spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, which means you will not have to disclose it in most circumstances. See links below.

Disclosing your criminal record

www.gov.uk

Guidance on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975

Explains the difference between spent and unspent convictions, outlines which convictions must be declared when applying for jobs and any exceptions.

www.gov.uk

 

[Tom12]

Hi, I have 2 questions
1, I will apply for British citizenship this year. It needs "good character" by Home Office when applying for a British citizen. Will this criminal record affect me when I apply for British citizenship?
2, I have mental issue of depression and anxiety for many years, and I take medicine. I can provide my medical record and a letter saying I am on the waiting list to see a specialist. Can I request a warning letter or settle out of court because of my mental issue?

I regret to use someone's Oyster card. I can't sleep for many days.

 

[z444z]

Hi, I have 2 questions
1, I will apply for British citizenship this year. It needs "good character" by Home Office when applying for a British citizen. Will this criminal record affect me when I apply for British citizenship?

We can’t give advice on this.

I have mental issue of depression and anxiety for many years, and I take medicine. I can provide my medical record and a letter saying I am on the waiting list to see a specialist. Can I request a warning letter or settle out of court because of my mental issue?

TfL do not settle out of court but may issue a warning letter if criteria in their prosecutions policy 8.2 are met. We usually only see this succeed when a specialist solicitor is engaged but that will cost around £1000. If that’s not possible then you can try to present your mitigation to TfL without a solicitor and we can help with this.

 

[John R]

Hi, I have 2 questions
1, I will apply for British citizenship this year. It needs "good character" by Home Office when applying for a British citizen. Will this criminal record affect me when I apply for British citizenship?
2, I have mental issue of depression and anxiety for many years, and I take medicine. I can provide my medical record and a letter saying I am on the waiting list to see a specialist. Can I request a warning letter or settle out of court because of my mental issue?

I regret to use someone's Oyster card. I can't sleep for many days.

You can ask, but TfL will ask itself whether your condition makes you more likely to commit the offence you have.

Many would argue that if you suffer from anxiety then the last thing you would want to do is fraudulently travel on the railway without a valid ticket as it would increase your anxiety at the risk of being caught, and if you are caught then dealing with the situation you then find yourself in, both when caught, and subsequently when having to deal with the consequences.

 

[AlterEgo]

Hi, I have 2 questions
1, I will apply for British citizenship this year. It needs "good character" by Home Office when applying for a British citizen. Will this criminal record affect me when I apply for British citizenship?

We can't say. If you are convicted, you will need to speak to a specialist immigration solicitor about this, but you should know that even a spent conviction needs to be declared in the application - this is one of the circumstances where you will need to declare the offence for all time, and an attempt to conceal it may also constitute an offence.

2, I have mental issue of depression and anxiety for many years, and I take medicine. I can provide my medical record and a letter saying I am on the waiting list to see a specialist. Can I request a warning letter or settle out of court because of my mental issue?

You can ask. If you are serious about this you need to engage a solicitor who will advocate on your behalf. Only you will know how your condition affects you, but you should know that TfL basically want to know that:

A) your disability or condition is so severe it contributed to your decision to commit the offences, so much so it would be totally unfair to prosecute you

and/or

B) your disability or condition is so severe that going to court would be in nobody's interest because of the extremely disproportionate effect a conviction would have on you

Some good examples that might qualify under A) are things like a severe learning disability, OCD, schizoaffective disorders with mania etc

Some good examples that might qualify under B) are things like a severe eating disorder, advanced cancer, chronic conditions etc.

But those are just off the top of my head and my own opinion, not from an official list - some conditions which might make it compelling that you should avoid the consequences of what you have done. I am not sure we have ever seen someone avoid prosecution because they have anxiety and depression, which, by way of perspective, is a condition that something like 10-15% of people in this country live with and manage.

That said, it may be worth consulting with a solicitor to explore your options. This will cost something like £500 to £1000 and there is no guarantee of success. A solicitor cannot invent mitigation for you, they can only advocate your position.

 

[Tom12]

Thank you for your suggestions. I will ask for help after I receive the letter. Thank you everyone

We can't say. If you are convicted, you will need to speak to a specialist immigration solicitor about this, but you should know that even a spent conviction needs to be declared in the application - this is one of the circumstances where you will need to declare the offence for all time, and an attempt to conceal it may also constitute an offence.


You can ask. If you are serious about this you need to engage a solicitor who will advocate on your behalf. Only you will know how your condition affects you, but you should know that TfL basically want to know that:

A) your disability or condition is so severe it contributed to your decision to commit the offences, so much so it would be totally unfair to prosecute you

and/or

B) your disability or condition is so severe that going to court would be in nobody's interest because of the extremely disproportionate effect a conviction would have on you

Some good examples that might qualify under A) are things like a severe learning disability, OCD, schizoaffective disorders with mania etc

Some good examples that might qualify under B) are things like a severe eating disorder, advanced cancer, chronic conditions etc.

But those are just off the top of my head and my own opinion, not from an official list - some conditions which might make it compelling that you should avoid the consequences of what you have done. I am not sure we have ever seen someone avoid prosecution because they have anxiety and depression, which, by way of perspective, is a condition that something like 10-15% of people in this country live with and manage.

That said, it may be worth consulting with a solicitor to explore your options. This will cost something like £500 to £1000 and there is no guarantee of success. A solicitor cannot invent mitigation for you, they can only advocate your position.

Thank you for your suggestions. I will ask for help after I receive the letter. Thank you everyone